Dems Winning the Political Vaccine Wars

​Dems Winning the Political Vaccine Wars

By Cliff Kincaid

In an article about Governor Gavin Newsom decisively beating the Republican recall effort in California, conservative activist Steve Baldwin argued that California voters have become so radicalized that they will accept the chaos and devastation in the state “as a small price to pay in order to transform California to socialism.” He makes a good point. Socialism is destroying the state. But one element of that chaos and devastation is the impact of the China virus. This was a major factor in the voting that Newsom won by a 63.5 percent to 36.5 percent margin.

A CNBC analysis found a link between support for Newsom and counties with high Covid vaccination rates in California. These people fear the virus and have been vaccinated against it. They look on the anti-vaxxers as backward thinkers and Luddites standing in the way of progress.

Newsom’s support of the vaccine was a political winner and he claimed the moral high ground over the Fox News candidate Larry Elder, who opposed vaccine mandates and lost big. A talking head, Elder was known for selling dietary supplements in commercials airing on the channel.  

Politically, the evidence indicates that the voters, including many Republicans, want tougher action against the unvaccinated. They increasingly want to ostracize and isolate the anti-vaxxers.

The new Fox News poll finds that big majorities support mask and vaccine mandates advocated by the Biden administration and other Democratic Party politicians. Republican politicians who oppose more aggressive action to control the virus will follow Larry Elder’s fate.  

The Fox poll found that 74 percent of the people are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the pandemic. By contrast, I keep hearing from Republican voters believe that the virus is no more deadly than the seasonal flu or the common cold. They emphasize their “freedom of choice,” with some contending the vaccine is an instrument of the anti-Christ to usher in a New World Order.

The Fox poll found 65 percent believe the vaccines to be safe and effective. 

This isn’t the only state where tougher action against Covid has become a key issue. In Virginia, in a neck and neck race, Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin has just released a political ad urging more people to get vaccinated. That’s in response to an ad from Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe titled “Don’t Florida Our Virginia,” which argues for imposing vaccine and mask mandates.

What this demonstrates is that people in general fear the virus more than the vaccine and are willing to take their chances on the shots.

Former President Trump, who takes credit for getting the vaccines approved in record time,  says, “Our country has gone really downhill in the last eight months, like nobody’s ever seen before.” If present trends continue, he told Newsmax, “we’re not going to have a country left in three years, I’ll tell you that.”

The irony is that his Warp Speed vaccines can take Covid off the table as a political weapon that the Democrats are using against Republicans. But many of Trump’s own people – his voters and base – are rejecting his signature achievement. Their “My body, my choice” argument plays into the hands of Biden and the Democrats.  They are increasingly being seen as obstructionists who are frustrating a solution to a pandemic that has claimed more than 650,000 lives.

The results in California, seen in the context of the new Fox News poll, demonstrate that the public wants the virus stamped out through government action.  

The left-wing New York Times insisted that Newsom’s strategy of running against Trump was a warning to Republicans who think they can take back the Congress in 2022. That’s only because Newsom used the issue of the success of the Trump vaccines against Trump and the Republicans.

In the Virginia race, in a debate, Republican Youngkin wisely offered a strong endorsement of the vaccine, saying, “I have been a strong, strong advocate for everyone to get the vaccine. I do believe that individuals should be allowed to make that decision on their own. But that's why I launched a public service announcement to encourage people to get the vaccine.”

Later in the debate, he emphasized, “My position on the vaccine has been very clear. I absolutely encourage all Virginians to get the vaccine.”

He went on to say, “I'm not anti-vax. In fact, he [Terry McAuliffe] appointed a woman to the George Mason [University] board that was absolutely anti-vax.” Indeed, the Washington Free beacon reported that McAuliffe appointed two prominent anti-vaccine advocates to coveted administration positions after they donated more than $50,000 to his campaign.
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It remains to be seen if this strong pro-vaccine message will be enough for Youngkin to defeat McAuliffe on November 2 in Virginia, as the public demands stronger action to control the spread of the disease. But the fate of Larry Elder demonstrates that business-as-usual in the face of a pandemic that continues to claim lives is a political loser. Youngkin understands that fact.  

*Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. www.usasurvival.org

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