Our Centers for Disease Control (or CDC) has produced a very interesting chart mapping the relationship between infection rates and vaccination rates, by county! Spoiler alert: the Republican areas of America have the most correlation between infections and (lack of) vaccines. Ohio is a conspicuous exception, but Republicans there will likely primary Gov. DeWine out of office as a reward for his relative competence. But do you think right-wingers will be pumping the results in Teton County, Wyoming -- where both vaccination and infection rates are high -- as if they're indicative of the entire nation? You betcha!
Democratic politicos fear that Republican voting laws across the country will doom them in 2022. In the meantime, here's what Democrats can do about that: a) do good works with the power they have wherever they have it and b) organize like our lives depend on it, which they kinda do. Seriously, no Republicans should hold office, anywhere -- they just hurt people. I don't know if Democratic candidates will do well or not in 2022, but I do know this: if they don't do well, they might blame the voting laws, but they'll definitely blame the liberals!
Idaho Lieutenant Governor, who's challenging the sitting Governor in the upcoming Republican primary, has paid over $25,000 to an "analyst" who has advocated shooting police officers. Not because they shoot Black folks, but because they arrest people, since, in his book, arrest equals kidnapping. I guess I won't be asking him how he feels about taxation. Attention, Chris Wallace! Maybe Republicans are really the ones who want to shoot the cops!
Donald Trump advises Congressional Republicans to ditch the "bipartisan" "infrastructure" "deal" until they take back Congress and thus have more "leverage," and for once I can't tell if he's giving them marching orders or not. After all, the man had two years with Republican majorities to pass an infrastructure bill, and he never came close to producing one, which suggests to me it's not really that important to him. His votaries will protest, but on what evidence? The "evidence" of their own rage, of course.
Matt Lewis at the Daily Beast examines "How Trumpists Prey on Loneliness, and Loneliness Preys on Trumpists," and when you confront the notion that "(p)eople who find purpose and meaning in their religious faith, connection with family, hobbies, and their vocation are less susceptible to finding meaning and community in a cult of personality," you may be reminded that scientists have said the same thing about drug addiction -- and have prescribed more profound interpersonal connections as the solution. I feel compelled to add that this isn't a new problem -- a lot of Trumpholes were Bushholes after 9.11.
Finally, Los Angeles man who gained some notoriety by mocking the COVID vaccine has, guess what, died of COVID. And he said he still wouldn't get vaccinated as he was being intubated -- admittedly, that ship had long sailed -- because his "faith" would "protect" him. And at the Pearly Gates, St. Peter will say to him let me guess: you didn't take the vaccine we sent you. Should we be sad at his death? Yes. But we should be sadder about the deaths his attitude will cause, because that sure didn't die with him.
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