Earlier today, I sat down with Monica Potts to talk about her latest piece in the Atlantic on the challenges in getting people vaccinated in her home state of Arkansas. It was a great discussion that touched on a host of topics, from how difficult it can be for poor people living in rural communities to get vaccinated; why pressure is more effective than persuasion with the vaccine-hesitant; the challenges of being a liberal in red-state America; the myth of personal responsibility; and how political polarization is eroding our very sense of community in America. This was an absolutely fascinating conversation that provided a perspective those of us in blue-state America don’t often hear. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
What’s Going On?
I loved this story about an unlikely pandemic friendship — a 2-year old and a soon-to-be centenarian.
Coverage of the latest science on the delta variant has been, to put it mildly, lacking. Let’s be very clear: “Virtually all hospitalizations and deaths continue to be among the unvaccinated.” So COVID-19 is walloping the unvaccinated — not those who have gotten their shot.
Yes, there are more breakthrough vaccinations with Delta. In all, 125,000 of those vaccinated have tested positive for COVID out of “the 164.2 million-plus people fully vaccinated since January.” That is less than .08 percent. Of those who have gotten sick, very few have become seriously ill - because of the vaccine. So this is all very simple: get vaccinated. If you are vaccinated, don’t panic. Take precautions, but remember, it is highly unlikely that you’re going to become seriously ill.
People who didn’t get vaccinated are regretting their decision.
Disney and Walmart are requiring employees to get vaccinated. This is excellent news and will likely go a long way toward raising vaccination rates. Tragically, it took so long to get to this point, but I’m a bit stunned at how quickly vaccine mandates took off and have been broadly adopted.
Bruce Jentleson suggests that we stop inflating the threat from China.
Musical Interlude
Johnny Cash is arguably the greatest musician from the state of Arkansas …
… Al Green is second.
Levon Helm gets the bronze medal.
And let’s give Junior Walker some love too!
What's The Matter With (Ar)Kansas?