Some Republicans Have Changed Their Messaging On The COVID-19 Vaccine. Is It Too Little, Too Late?
According to local media, when reporters asked House Minority Whip Steve Scalise in the beginning of April when he planned to get a COVID-19 vaccine, he replied, “Soon.” A month later, when asked again, his sense of urgency — or lack thereof — remained the same.
Then in July, something changed. Sitting inside a clinic in his home state of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican in the House posed for a photo as he got vaccinated at last. Four days later, at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol, he encouraged others to do so too. “I have high confidence in it,” Scalise said of the vaccine. “I got it myself.”
Scalise isn’t the only Republican who has suddenly changed his tone. That same week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose 2022 reelection campaign merchandise features drink koozies that say “Don’t Fauci My Florida,” noted that nearly everyone hospitalized now for COVID-19 was unvaccinated. “These vaccines are saving lives,” he said at a press conference. Even hosts on Fox News, where COVID-19 was initially denied as a “hoax,” are encouraging viewers to get vaccinated.
But their statements of support — prompted by the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant — are unlikely to change the minds of those who are certain they don’t want the shot. Some prominent members of the party and conservative media networks spent months downplaying the severity of the pandemic and spreading misinformation about the vaccines, and their sudden about-face is unlikely to be enough to change that dynamic. But for those who were hesitant — but not necessarily opposed — there may be some chance for Republicans to change minds.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/some-republicans-have-changed-their-messaging-on-the-covid-19-vaccine-is-it-too-little-too-late/
Ask the families and friends whose loved ones died from COVID-19.
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