Marty’s unkind cut in line
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh getting an early coronavirus vaccine is a cold slap in the face to his less fortunate constituents who have to wait months to get a shot.
There is no good reason for Walsh and other presumptive Biden Cabinet members to cut in line.
What hypocrisy. Walsh hasn’t even been confirmed as Labor secretary, and even if he is, he’s 11th in the line of succession to the presidency.
Like the hundreds of congressional staffers who also cut in line to get vaccinated, he’s no more essential to the operation of the government than millions of other hardworking government bureaucrats or a 65-year-old MBTA bus driver. C’mon, man.
Walsh is well under 65 years old, has no health conditions that we know of that could make him susceptible to COVID-19, and isn’t a first responder that might come in contact with patients.
Is this the Biden vaccination plan we’ve all been hearing about? Give your buddies and cronies and underlings the vaccine ahead of the elderly?
Walsh should be embarrassed. While other highranking elected officials like Gov. Charlie Baker have politely declined to get an early vaccine, the Boston mayor hasn’t even been forced to explain why he needed the shot.
Since he was handed the job of Labor secretary by his political pal, Walsh has refused to answer many questions and has seemingly turned the responsibility of executing the city’s vaccination program over to underlings like his politically ambitious Health and Human Services chief, Marty Martinez. Martinez is also considering running to replace Walsh and happily took over a recent press conference that Walsh left early.
All of Biden’s Cabinet picks reportedly got the first dose of the vaccine, including Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, who was nominated by Biden as Commerce Secretary. She is 10th in the line of succession.
At least Baker had the decency to decline a shot, and he’s 64 years old — 11 years older than Walsh. It would also be hypocritical of Baker to tell millions of residents in the same age category that they have to wait to get a shot while he gets vaccinated himself. Baker and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu have made very clear they’re going to wait their turn.
Governors and mayors and members of Congress are not first responders and don’t have direct contact with COVID patients. There’s no excuse why Republicans and Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren should be first in line.
And don’t tell me Walsh and Warren and other Cabinet nominees are taking the vaccine to set an example for others.
Millions of people right now are clamoring to get their shots, and have been frustrated by the slow pace of the vaccination effort.
If Biden is all about transparency, as his press secretary says, he needs to release a list of all administration members and nominees who have gotten the vaccine and release it to the public.