People who are choosing not to get the vaccine generally spout off a list of reasons why they won’t be inoculated. The sad truth though is that most of us know it comes down to politics and one man sitting in a Missouri ICU fighting COVID admitted what many others won’t. The AP says he made this statement “through labored breathing.”
“I was strongly against getting the vaccine… Just because we’re a strong conservative family.”
-Daryl Barker, 31-years-old
Some leading Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may be pushing vaccines, but as this quote shows that message isn’t getting across to all Republicans. A large percentage of the party is instead listening to people like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is among those pushing an anti-vaccine message.
Pro-Publica recently cited a Facebook post from State Rep. Bill Kidd. The politician from a Kansas City suburb said he had COVID and proudly declared, “And no, we didn’t get the vaccine, We’re Republicans 😆” The post has since been deleted.
There are some Republicans who are now having second thoughts about questioning the vaccine. Phil Valentine is among those. He’s a conservative radio host who is currently on a ventilator battling COVID. According to Newsweek:
Valentine has been publicly skeptical about all adults receiving the COVID vaccine. In his latest Facebook post on July 16, he questioned the safety of vaccines. Two days prior he wrote he was feeling better, and claimed without evidence “there are some very effective alternatives to the vaccine,” and told those who are at high risk of dying from COVID to consider getting vaccinated. In June, he shared a parody song on Twitter called Vaxman, which spoke about personal freedoms.
Now his family is saying “he regrets not being more vehemently ‘Pro-Vaccine.'”
