As Virus Resurges, G.O.P. Lawmakers Allow Vaccine Skepticism to Flourish

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/us/politics/republicans-coronavirus.html

As Virus Resurges, G.O.P. Lawmakers Allow Vaccine Skepticism to Flourish
As the coronavirus’s Delta variant rips through conservative communities, most Republicans remain reluctant to confront vaccine misinformation and skepticism in their midst.
By Jonathan Weisman and Sheryl Gay Stolberg
July 20, 2021

...

Amid a widening partisan divide over coronavirus vaccination, most Republicans have either stoked or ignored the flood of misinformation reaching their constituents and instead focused their message about the vaccine on disparaging President Biden, characterizing his drive to inoculate Americans as politically motivated and heavy-handed.

On Tuesday, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 House Republican who said he had received his first Pfizer vaccine shot only on Sunday, blamed the hesitance on Mr. Biden and his criticism of Donald J. Trump’s vaccine drive last year. Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, said skeptics would not get their shots until “this administration acknowledges the efforts of the last one.”

The political disparity in vaccine hesitancy is stark. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported at the end of June that 86 percent of Democrats had at least one shot, compared with 52 percent of Republicans. An analysis by The New York Times in April found that the least vaccinated counties in the country had one thing in common: They voted for Mr. Trump.

“There’s a big gap, and it’s growing,” said Jen Kates, a senior vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation. “We know that more of the unvaccinated are self-identified Republicans, so they are much more at risk of illness, death and continued spread than fully vaccinated people.”

[BeckyDem]

1. So there were marching orders?

Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama, said skeptics would not get their shots until “this administration acknowledges the efforts of the last one.”

My God, they're insane. One guess I have about Sean Hannity's turnaround is that Wall Street has recently taken a downward turn.
Money being their lord and savior, maybe we'll see more vaccinations in red states soon.

[tanyev]

2. I refuse to do this thing that will save my life until you acknowledge the Trump Admin efforts!