It was a hot and sticky night.
Of course it was. It was Cullman, Alabama in the dog days of summer.
Even so, Saturday’s mood turned chilly when former President Donald Trump suggested people get vaccinated.
“I happened to take the vaccine,” he said at the rally, adding, “It seems to be working.”
After eight months of laying low, Trump is finally stumping for the COVID-19 vaccines.
Not all were buying it. Boos started emanating from the crowd. Others may have tried to get the wax out of their ears. After all, this is the man who defied the coronavirus.
Well, with the help of the nation’s best doctors and a crate full of high-powered drugs.
Trump and his wife were vaccinated against COVID-19 in January, shortly before leaving office.
Unlike other public officials who by their example hope to encourage others to get vaccinated, the Trumps kept their shots under wraps, with the public not learning until March.
Whether this made a difference to the public’s response — only 51.7% are fully vaccinated — is unknown. But of the holdouts, a majority tilt Republican. In the 2020 election, Trump won 17 of the 18 states with the lowest adult vaccination rates. Forty percent of today’s infections come from just three states: Florida, Missouri and Texas.
Blaming Republican politicians for the lag in vaccines is giving them too much credit, pundits say, noting the general lack of credibility among politicians of all stripes.
A more damning assessment is that Republican leaders by and large have remained moot as anti-vax, anti-mask, and anti-social distancing campaigns continue to spread disinformation among their voters.
This inaction to call out the lies and mistruths for what they are has cost hundreds of thousands of Americans their lives.
Realizing the numbers aren’t looking so good, Republicans are beginning to change their tunes, with more and more now championing the vaccine.
In addition to mounting casualties, the fear of another economic recession, especially in the Southeast where vaccination rates are low, is all too real.
