Republicans in Congress are split on something that there should be universal consensus on. The GOP is divided on COVID vaccinations.
As Steven Dennis tweeted:
Vaccination policy really splitting GOP, from "Fauci Ouchie" Boebert in one camp to McConnell, Blunt repeatedly urging everyone to get vaccinated. McConnell, who often notes he had polio as a child and knows the value of vaccines, says he's "perplexed" why people are hesitant.
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) July 13, 2021
Mitch McConnell shouldn’t be perplexed at all. Those who are playing up the anti-vaccination misinformation are doing so for celebrity and political gain. Saying crazy anti-vaccination statements will get any Republican on Fox News. The crazier and more fervent the better.
Trump pioneered this behavior, and the Republicans who want to be just like him are following in his footsteps.
The Fractures In The Republican Party Are Growing Deeper
The striking element of the divide in the Republican Party is that it is deepening. Donald Trump fractured the party, and his absence, but his refusal to let go of his grip on the GOP has created a weird situation where Republicans are fighting the battles of the past with no unifying message or agenda for the future.
No one is more politically cynical than Mitch McConnell, but even he sees the reality that the anti-vaccine rhetoric could lead to the deaths of the voters that Republicans need in 2022 and 2024.
It should have been a no-brainer. Republicans should have been racing to get vaccinated. Instead, the GOP has become a death cult whose demise is a symptom of a deep and long last rift in the fundamental structure of the party.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor, who is White House Press Pool, and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association