The coronavirus pandemic has been a gift to people who derive immense pleasure from being angry and feeling morally superior.
What will these deranged individuals do when the outbreak eventually passes, thanks to the production and distribution of life-saving vaccines? Perhaps they already see the writing on the wall. Perhaps that is why the pandemic-embracing scolds are simply inventing new reasons to be angry. They know they’re up against the clock, so they’re making the best of what’s left.
The latest “grievance” from those who’ve leveraged COVID-19 as a weapon against people they dislike: That certain congressional Republicans, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, have received vaccine shots ahead of some front-line workers.
“Why are Republicans who’ve downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus or who’ve stood by as their colleagues downplayed its seriousness getting a COVID vaccine ahead of frontline workers?” asks MSNBC senior producer Kyle Griffin. More than 6,300 social media users have shared his question.
I am genuinely curious to know whether Griffin believes that one’s access to healthcare should be conditioned upon one’s diet.
“Republican strategist” and cable news barnacle Ana Navarro-Cardenas added elsewhere, “Young, healthy Senator, who spoke at rallies packed w/thousands w/o masks, who supports Trump -who’s down-played COVID & mocked those who wear masks, is 1st to get vaccine while most medical workers, elderly & infirm Americans, wait. Congratulations on ur privilege, [Rubio].” More than 24,600 social media users have shared her outrage.
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has also received the coronavirus vaccine. She is 30-years-old and healthy. Navarro-Cardenas has yet to say a single negative word about it.
As a brief aside: In case you’re wondering why or how senators got access already to the vaccine, the Associated Press reports:
Both Pelosi and McConnell tweeted photos of themselves receiving the vaccine from the Capitol physician, Dr. Brian P. Monahan. Monahan informed lawmakers Thursday evening that they are all eligible for the shots under government continuity guidelines and asked members of the House and Senate to make appointments with his office to be vaccinated.
Moreover, no one in Congress is jumping the line. Vaccines are apportioned to both the federal and state governments. The vaccine allotment that goes to the federal government is distributed to federal agencies and the appropriate branches of government under provisions dictating continuity of government. If Rubio declined the vaccine, his dose would either collect dust or go to another federal worker somewhere down the line. It would not go to a “frontline worker.”
Yet some in the press seem to believe it is wrong that certain members of Congress have followed the Capitol physician’s guidelines.
“Images of members of Congress who have enabled Trump during this pandemic getting vaccinated before Americans receive COVID relief shows just how deformed Washington has become,” complained CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta. (Do you suppose he remembers who it was that blocked COVID relief?)
Acosta added, “This goes for people in the administration [who] went along with Trump downplaying this virus. Oh now you trust the science?!” More than 6,500 social media users have shared his nonsensical complaint.
There’s more, but you get the picture.
These complaints make little sense. First, if even accepting arguendo that Rubio and Graham helped cast doubt on the seriousness of the virus, shouldn’t we cheer them for publicly promoting the vaccine? We do want everyone to get vaccinated, right? In that case, it’s a victory if supposed virus skeptics are now encouraging like-minded skeptics to take the vaccine?
Second, let’s acknowledge that Griffin, Navarro-Cardenas, and Acosta would be incandescent with rage had Rubio or Graham disregarded Monahan’s recommendations and declined the vaccine. It is a 100% certainty that Griffin and company would be screaming now about how unprecedented and dangerous it is, that Republican senators are casting doubt on the COVD-19 vaccine, that they are putting lives in danger, etc., etc.
You know how the game works. It has nothing to do with health or COVID — it’s all about being angry and feeling morally superior. It doesn’t matter to these people what Rubio did. All that matters is who he is.
It has been like this since the virus became politicized earlier this year. It doesn’t matter the news development; something is bad and you should be scared and angry. Indeed, it seems anytime there is good news regarding efforts to fight the outbreak, some pandemic pornographer comes along to peddle rage and fear.
