AMERICA DOESN’T NEED TRUMP’S VACCINE ADVICE
The mainstream media seems far more interested in the disgraced former president than it does the current Oval Office inhabitant. President Joe Biden and his team have repeatedly declined to respond to the former president’s outbursts. Asked earlier this month about what “some people” — meaning Biden’s predecessor — are saying about the surge in border crossings, White House press secretary Jen Psaki calmly replied, “We don’t take our advice or counsel from for- mer president [Donald] Trump on immigration policy, which was not only inhumane but ineffective over the last four years.”
And on Monday, in response to a question about whether it would help to have the MAGA cult leader promote vaccination, Biden made the rare decision to say his predecessor’s name — to explain why Trump is irrelevant. “I’m hearing a lot of reports from serious reporters like you saying that. I discussed it with my team, and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community would say.” He added, “So I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it’s important to get that vaccine, and even after that, until everyone is in fact vaccinated, to wear this mask,” before putting on his own mask.
Biden’s marketing idea is almost certainly correct. During the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, polls showed Americans were far more likely to believe local officials or their own healthcare providers than national politicians or even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moreover, vaccine hesitancy is already declining. The availability of vaccines, the information put out daily by the White House COVID-19 task force and the reassuring and authoritative statements from Biden’s chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, all act to encourage others that the vaccines are safe and effective. A recent Pew Research Center poll conducted earlier this month shows this approach is working. The survey found that 69% of the public had already received the vaccine or intended to get it, up from 60% last November.
Psaki on Monday outlined additional public outreach efforts, including those aimed directly at conservatives. “We will quickly move to a public — a big public campaign, which will be run out of [the Department of Health and Human Services],” she said. “There’s even some funding in the American Rescue Plan for that.” She also noted that later this week, Fauci and Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, will be “hosting an event with evangelical leaders to discuss the vaccine and how we can partner with them.”
Businesses have a role to play as well. Many businesses are paying for employees to take time off to get vaccinated. Last month, the covid-19 task force announced a joint project with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business Roundtable and leaders of the Black, Latino, and Asian business communities to abide by public health measures. This includes requiring employees and customers to abide by masking and social distancing guidelines; reducing barriers to vaccination; and “[educating] the public about the benefits of masking and vaccinations.”
So when it comes to the major issues facing our country, especially fighting COVID-19, there really is no need to pay attention to the pandemic deniers who got us in this fix in the first place. Does it hurt when ignorant, reckless politicians such as Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, falsely say that those who had COVID-19 do not need the shot? Perhaps, but peer pressure from family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and others likely carries more weight with Americans, other than the truly deluded conspiracy theorists.
Credible public and private voices are helping reach the critical mass of Americans needed to end the pandemic. As for the MAGA cult leaders, it is best to ignore them and deny them the oxygen they need to inflame and misinform their followers.