They spread lies that weakened America
Republicans refused to vaccinate as a result of their quest for power
The deployment of the National Guard in an American city to examine the extent of the infection of Americans.
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When Biden indicated that "Corona" still posed a threat, this angered Republicans.
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The partisan nature of opposition to vaccines impeded the implementation of an effective strategy against "Corona".
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About a year ago, it was logical to hope that by the beginning of 2022 we will talk about the Corona virus as a major pandemic, that it is a thing of the past, effective vaccines were developed at an incredible speed, and certainly a developed country like the United States will find the appropriate way to distribute these vaccines to various around the world.
Lies motivated by political goals
But why have we not passed the stage of this pandemic?
Part of the problem lies in the great ability of the virus to evolve, as the “Delta” strain developed from “Corona” caused a great shock to the world in view of its lethal ability, and now the “Omicron” strain formed another shock for us as well, given its terrible ability to spread, and with So, we should have done better.
The main reason preventing the development of these efforts is the power of lies motivated by political goals.
The partisan nature of opposition to vaccines
And before going into the specifics of these lies, and the damage they caused, and let us be completely clear, yes, they are related to politics. I realize that I am not the only commentator who has faced opposition against emphasizing the partisan nature of opposition to vaccines, and we have been constantly reminded that unvaccinated Americans are not loyal to the Republican Party, and that there are many reasons why some do not take the vaccine, and all of this is true, but nevertheless the politics She played a crucial and growing role in this.
Consider, for example, a statistic about vaccination last October, which shows that 60% of unvaccinated people identified as Republican, compared to 17% of the Democratic Party.
Or let's look at the very important analysis of the American researcher in the health field, Charles Gabba, which contains data at the state level, and shows that, on average, each percentage point of former President Donald Trump's share in the 2020 elections is offset by a half-point decrease in the current vaccination rate in the country But how does politics go so far as to undermine what should have been a medical miracle?
I'm going to identify three important lies that Republican politicians have been telling, along with the right-wing media.
Omicron is irrational hysteria
First, the claim that the Corona virus is a pointless issue.
And some may think that such a claim can be stopped, given the death of nearly 800,000 Americans as a result of the “Corona” virus since the conservative American broadcaster, Rush Limbaugh, compared the “Corona” virus with the regular flu virus.
But this thinking still exists, as political figures, such as Republican Congressman Marco Rubio, still reject the way to deal with the “Omicron” strain, as “irrational hysteria,” because this strain of the virus was not very lethal, and few were sent The injured are sent to hospitals, especially the vaccinated.
Rubio quickly ignored Charles Gabba's analysis that millions of Republicans had refused to vaccinate, and had declared that they had no fear of the virus, even though they ought to.
All conservative political commentators rose with great anger when US President Joe Biden indicated, logically, that the virus still poses a great danger to Americans if they do not rush to take the vaccine, and the conservative TV presenter, Tucker Carlson, accused Biden of treating unvaccinated people as if they were Less than humans.” Republicans tweeted in the House Judiciary Committee that the vaccine is ineffective, saying, “If booster vaccines are effective, why not end this whole situation?”
Second, what Republicans might be getting at is the fact that the Omicron strain produces a number of powerful infections, and they are cautiously ignoring the shining evidence that even vaccinated Americans who contracted the disease were much less likely to be hospitalized or die than others. pollinators.
Rejecting the vaccine is a personal choice
And third, there is the claim that it is all about freedom, that unvaccinated people are to be treated simply that their refusal is a personal choice. For example, Texas Governor Greg Abbott used this argument as the basis for a lawsuit aimed at preventing federal guardianship of the vaccine. The Abbott administration appealed for federal aid to help Texas deal with a sharp rise in the number of "Corona" injuries, as this state is characterized by a low rate of vaccinations, and the transfer of many injured to hospitals, because Abbott prevented private medical centers from imposing vaccines. Do we need to say more?
Attentive readers must have noticed that the claims of these Republicans are not only false, but contradict each other in many ways. They say that we can ignore the Corona virus thanks to vaccines, which, by the way, they say do not work.
Vaccination is a personal choice, but providing the information people need to make them make a rational choice is a despicable violation of their dignity.
It is all about freedom and free markets, but this freedom does not include the right of private hospitals to protect their employees and clients from patients.
pursuit of power
Accordingly, all of this seems illogical, except when you realize that Republican rejection of a vaccine is not about coherent ideological service, but about the pursuit of power. A successful vaccination campaign would be a victory for the Biden administration, so any attempt at such a campaign must be undermined No arguments are available.
Blame Biden
Certainly, the strategy of rejecting the vaccine has succeeded politically, and the insistence of “Corona” helped to keep the mood of the nation bleak, which caused great damage to the party that controls the White House, and therefore the Republicans, who did everything they could to prevent an effective campaign against “there.” Corona” did not hesitate for a moment to blame Biden for the failure to end the Corona pandemic.
The success of the policy of devastating vaccines seems terrifying in and of itself, and it seems to represent absolute selfishness, exercised even at the expense of the lives of your supporters and supporters.
• “On average, each percentage point of former President Donald Trump's share in the 2020 elections corresponds to a half-point decrease in the country's current vaccination rate."
Paul Krugman ■ Opinion writer for The New York Times
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