And just like that, as if someone flipped a switch, they all turn on a dime

[NCcoast]

They're like the Borg. How do they accomplish that? Back in the W Bush era you knew it was Rove who was the Great and Powerful Oz, sending out his talking points. Within minutes the whole of the GOP would be speaking identical words across every media platform.

How do they do it these days? Who made the call that they wouldn't be able to avoid blame for covid spikes in the red states if things got too bad. Mobs can turn on their masters, ask Mussolini.

[obamanut2012]

1. ?

[NCcoast]

2. They are suddenly all pro vaccine

[Pinback]

3. Sean Hannity assures audience he's "not urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine"

I don't tune in to right wing media very often, so I have to rely on watchdogs like Mediamatters:
https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/sean-hannity-assures-audience-hes-not-urging-people-get-covid-19-vaccine

[JHB]

4. So he's not saying 'get the vaccine'...

[Bucky]

21. Fuck those people and the insane rabbit holes that they go down

Hannity knows he can't directly call for people to take the vaccine. That would destroys credibility and calling the vaccine into question for the last year. He also knows he can't call people to not take the vaccine. He deals an insinuations and coloring generalities. He wants to take a stand on anything except they insinuations about Democrats being "socialists."

People are getting sick. People are dying. The infection is spreading again, and this fuckwad is not here to take a stand. His ego won't allow him to go on the record acknowledging that he created doubt about something in a way that got his listeners killed. What a disgusting and useless human being

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Scum Hannity is an evil hypocrite

Feb 26, 2020:

[Earth-shine]

6. Ultimately, the Borg were/are/will be always logical and practical. The Republican party is more

like an oppositionally defiant child.

Whatever it is, if Biden wants it, they are opposed to it.

[yobrault1]

10. Obama gave them plenty of practice

literally opposing everything, even if it’s what they ultimately want. BTW when is Moscow Mitch’s election going to be investigated. Dominion was not the voting machine issue. But the ones in his district are owned by dark money groups. Very suspicious numbers in McConnell’s, Collins’ and Graham’s elections.

[yardwork]

7. Apparently, 12 people.

[Klaralven]

8. It's natural

[Roy Rolling]

18. +1000

Humans are hardwired to desire belonging to a group. When deplorables finally turn around, they will all change at once, not one fish at a time.

Converting the big fish is more important than debating every tiny fish in the school.

They call it a school, but they are of one mind.

[burrowowl]

24. Fascinating, thanks

[Scrivener7]

9. I think they actually do get talking points from some central location.

The Heritage Foundation? The Family (see the Netflix documentary on them)? Some other? There are plenty of shady people and groups behind republiQans.

[NCcoast]

11. I feel certain they do

I'd like know what the mechanics of that system are and who is calling the tune. Two days ago they were all vaccine doubters, then boom, they all coming out singing the same tune, go get that vaccine y'all.

[Scrivener7]

12. I don't see any other feasible explanation. And as you point out, in the Rove years they were

open about the fact of this central talking point generator.

And their great advantage is that they are totally disciplined about message. That has devolved into the bogus outrage of the day, but it is still effective in dominating news cycles.

[nuxvomica]

15. Grover Norquist used to dispense them on Wednesdays

Norquist hosted a group meeting on Wednesdays with reps of all the major conservative groups and they would agree on the week's talking points, then pass them out to their members and affiliates. That's why Repubs always seemed to be on the same page with their lies, so that they might almost seem like the truth. Either that is still going on or something like it.

[Scrivener7]

16. And it is unlikely that they just stopped that. It's very effective.

[nuxvomica]

27. Apparently it is still going on

Norquist chairs the Washington, DC - based Wednesday Meeting, a weekly gathering of more than 150 elected officials, political activists, and movement leaders. The meeting started in 1993 and takes place in ATR's conference room. There are now 48 similar center-right meetings in 40 states.

https://politics.georgetown.edu/profile/grover-norquist/

So that's probably where the "push vaccinations" talking point came from. "Center-right" my ass. These are extremists.

[jaxexpat]

13. Except in the case of the GQP, they started out upside down.

The mob will need to be creative in their technique for post mortum display and those angry Italians of 1945 were a tough crowd to beat.

[Ziggysmom]

14. The Borg. Great analogy. They scared the crap outta me, like stupid repube clones do now.

[alphafemale]

17. I think they were privately told information more dire

than the general public is getting.

The switch was very quick.

Of course some are still persisting in the trump death cult.

[Woodwizard]

19. I am getting that vibe too.

It is going to really hurt if we have another shutdown, and the fact free unvaccinated will be oblivious that they caused it. The CDC should have never given the green light on social distance and not wearing masks, in my county in NY 53 percent are vaccinated. By the amount of people in stores not wearing masks you would be led to believe it was close to 100.

[WA-03 Democrat]

28. Biden asked everyone to wear a mask

For the first 100 days. He asked everyone to get a free and safe vaccine. Most Americans did. The Biden CDC mask change split it. The fights over not having to wear a mask went down and those that did as asked had protection. Those who are protected can and will infect people who did not get the vaccine. Same for those who never got the vaccine, they are spreading it to and at a much faster rate. That is the way herd immunity works.

I live in Washington we are above 70% vaccinated. The people not wearing the masks and not getting the vaccine are protracting this. Herd immunity will be achieved by vaccination or infection. Until a vaccine mandate, that the only way we will get there.

[Woodwizard]

34. I am aware of that.

And the politics that goes with it, when the CDC gives mixed messages it just makes it worse. The mask mandate should have not been lifted. Governor Cuomo claims NY is at 70 percent, well not in my red county it is in the low 50's at this point 70 percent is pathetic we should be close to 100.

[WA-03 Democrat]

36. CDC message changed

And may have to change again. I wear a mask everywhere still. My county just crossed the state average last week so I understand one size does not fit all. Local officials and businesses can keep them to account for different situations. I was really upset when it was dropped but I think the reasoning was sound. I don’t like to see anyone suffer but live free or die I guess.

[DBoon]

39. like internal polls that show the public is turning against anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers?

Maybe even to the point where it will swing elections?

[alphafemale]

40. Very much.

The tolerance level or that will reach a tipping point.

[BumRushDaShow]

20. Back in the late-1990s

when I would travel down to D.C. metro for work stuff, I would listen to liberal and activist black talker Joe Madison, who at the time was broadcasting on WRC in VA and his show was sandwiched between G. Gordon Liddy's and Oliver North's shows. So he would inevitably battle the deplorable fans of both of those other shows, day after day...

And when he moved to WOL (simulcast on SiriusXM) and I caught up with him again in the late 2000s, he would tell the story of WWRC and how he and his staff would literally see the station's fax machine receiving faxes addressed to Liddy and North with the IDENTICAL "talking points".

So fast-forward to today and you can guarantee that they all get some kind of "release" notice with "recommendations" from "someone" (or some RW loon organization) that probably has some compiled list of talking points, and they can probably pick and choose which ones to focus on. But whichever ones they do focus on, they will all be saying the same thing for "consistency".

[Historic NY]

22. They all trip on their asses trying to suck back all their previous words.

Alabama Gov. made me laugh. If Democrats don't hammer these so call pro-lifers over COVID-19 then it is a waste. Commercials should hit the air waves 24/7 especially radio until they become sick of hearing it. Most of those dying are those that took their anti=vax message.

[UCmeNdc]

23. Can someone please inform the GOP voters that their GOP politicians play them as fools?

How can these people not see how manipulative and incompetent the Republican politicians are?

[kentuck]

25. When they said 99% of all hospitalizations are unvaccinated...

The Republicans heard: "99% of all hospitalizations are Republicans"...

And they could see the political downside to that...

[obamanut2012]

26. DeSantis is still selling "Don't Fauci My Florida" merch

So, he can fuck off. He is killing people here.

[Ace Rothstein]

29. Now the base is gonna turn on them for being RINOs.

[greenjar_01]

30. Mussolini was killed by dedicated antifascist partisans and Italian communists

Not everybody in Italy was a fascist who "turned on a dime."

[NCcoast]

37. Busted...

But it got the point across.

?t=14

[UTUSN]

31. "And just like that ... flipped switch" - Sarah Jessica PARKER?!1

[lagomorph777]

32. Putin

[dalton99a]

33. Kick

[Sibelius Fan]

35. Many MAGAts will look at this reversal as being a wink-wink from their RW masters

“Sean must be under tremendous pressure from the advertisers to parrot the Democrat lies about the vaccine, but we know better. He’s been telling us the truth for months.”

[WA-03 Democrat]

38. Correct the lie

Creates fractures. They lost control of the virus the first time Trump opened his stupid mouth. Democratic hoax is now 99% Republicans sick with it in the hospital. I don’t know that stat for sure but it sure seems like they finally end gamed the stable genius’ plan and figured out what a bitch of a boomerang it is. Who would have thought lying to people so they might get sick and die would be a bad strategy?