February 11th, 2022: This Week in Republican Efforts to Prolong the Pandemic…
Republicans Are Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
This week, Republican strategists said the quiet part out loud. Despite the fact that 900,000 Americans have died, despite the fact that the economy suffered during the worst of the pandemic, despite the fact that people have been trying for years to overcome the pandemic using public health measures, masks, and vaccines, the GOP plans on using COVID-19 as a political cudgel in the midterms with no regard for people’s lives or livelihoods.
We can already see it already. Republicans all over have decided to focus on targeting Dr. Anthony Fauci in their quest to score political points, even fundraising off outrageous attacks on Dr. Fauci, who has spent decades of his life in public service.
Elsewhere in Republican efforts to prolong the pandemic…
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ controversial surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo spoke in front of a hearing where he repeatedly declined to say whether or not he was vaccinated, refused to promote vaccines, and defended touting treatments that don’t work against COVID-19. Governor DeSantis’ nomination of Dr. Ladapo is a travesty. Any Republican who claims to care about competency in government or public health should call on DeSantis to withdraw his nomination and support of Dr. Ladapo, and when DeSantis refuses to do that, vote no on his confirmation.
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson falsely told a child that masks don’t work, despite studies showing that there were more COVID-19 cases in areas without school masking policies than in areas where schools require masks. This is just the latest in Senator Johnson’s long, long history of promoting lies, vaccine hesitancy, and conspiracy theories over public health measures, including life-saving vaccines.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul encouraged protests like the one in Ottawa, Canada to come to the United States, saying he was “all for” the kind of dangerous rhetoric and economy-harming actions like the ones seen in Canada. The protestors have shut down border crossings between the United States and Canada, which is harming the economies of both Canada and the United States. Clearly Senator Paul is more interested in proving a political point than he is in helping the economy get back on track.
In other news, a conservative-leaning appeals court left in place a national block for a vaccine requirement for federal employees, cheered on by the likes of Texas Representative Chip Roy and Senator Ted Cruz. Vaccine requirements are common sense measures that save lives, reducing the spread of COVID-19 and making it safer for people to go to work knowing they’re protected from severe illness and death.
Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor made it easier for doctors to prescribe ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to patients, despite no scientific studies finding either drug has any effect on COVID-19. Kansas legislators advanced anti-vaccine and pro-quack cures measures. These actions only serve to divide us, making it more difficult for people to move on from the pandemic and move forward as a country.