Painting the Whole Picture

Are you ready for it?  Seriously, you'd better brace yourself for the Republicans of Minnesota and this country to give you whiplash with the argument they'll be trying to make all next year during the mid term election cycle.

Republicans in 2022 - "Where did you EVER get the idea we were against vaccines, masks and common sense pandemic safety measures?"

I don't know...in Minnesota, a few weeks after the Republican Senate majority Leader and the House minority leader demanded the state reopen on the Minnesota Capitol steps as we began to see the worst spike in COVID cases, Sen. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka decided to have a celebration party after the MNGOP held the MN Senate, a celebration which did not follow pandemic safety protocol (they seem to have purposely dismissed safety procedures) did not include mask wearing and did not include social distancing,  and did indeed turn into a CoronaVirus super spreader event, likely killing one of their own Senators.  And THEN they returned to work in the MN Senate and NEVER TOLD THE DEMOCRATS IN THE CHAMBER THEY WERE WORKING WITH A BUNCH OF SICK PEOPLE!!!

Thank God the GOP is not in charge of this state.

Since June, I've noticed most Republicans have started to try to soften their rhetoric in regards to vaccines and Corona Virus safety measures.  Most of them now are openly saying they encourage people to get the vaccine, and follow safety protocols.  But they falsely try to paint this as a 'personal choice' issue, generally followed by their own contradicting advice, dismissing their safety language.  This is clearly paving the road so they can try to scream away their real behavior in 2022 when people point out their complete message, something many Republicans eagerly will want the voters to forget.

NEVER FORGET, even if a Republican was talking common sense about getting vaccinated and following safety protocols, they usually followed it up with one of the following five messages which INTENTIONALLY undermined their message:

1) "Sure you can wear a mask and socially distant, but unlike THOSE sacred wussies cowering in fear in their basements, I'm not afraid of the world!"  They have said this for the last year.  Only recently have some Republicans dropped the language.  Still there are many who continue to push this fake "we're not scared" mantra.

2) "They want you to wear masks but our kids can't breathe!" If your kid can't breath though a simple mask, you probably want to get them checked out at the hospital, as preexisting breathing conditions are a major contributor to sever COVID cases.  They're only using the 'what about ht children' tone to scare people into agreeing with them.  

3) It's REALLY hollow to say you are for vaccines and masks now when for a year and a half the Republicans of this country have been screaming "Reopen Everything!" In many states they have reopened, and the Delta Variant of the Corona Virus is predictably spiraling out of control.  After you give the villagers the plague, it's an empty gesture to then say the dying masses "make sure to wash you hands!"

4)  The amount of Republican politicians who will try to argue 'I was for vaccines and masks' by insisting an individual can make a personal choice about both, but then go out of their way to prevent cities, counties, schools and public institutions for instituting mask and vaccine policies.  It takes a real horrible person to go out of their way to make sure people are less safe.  The entities who want to install these mask and vaccine requirements are people who will be held accountable by their local jurisdictions/voters, but because Republicans know the local voters will go along with them, they try to stop them from doing what they think is best.  IT's very similar to outstate Republicans trying to stop the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul from installing a higher minimum wage (How dare they!).  It's terrifying how many people Republicans have likely killed with their policies during this pandemic.

5) "FREEDOM!!!" The pageantry and theatrics Republicans embrace to undermine their own message on COVID safety usually culminates with some sort argument they are super patriotic, not willing to sacrifice their freedoms for anyone. A minor inconvenience for the safety and benefit of all, INCLUDING YOURSELF, is not a violation of your freedoms. And Patriotism means caring for your fellow countryman and woman, NOT engaging in selfish behavior where you demand the world give you what you want.  That's just pathetic, and anti Christian too!

The real wild card in 2022 is the Minnesota media.  Many of them will allow the Republicans to completly rewrite their legacy and act as if they've always been for vaccines and masks.  If I'm the Minnesota DFL, I'm finding EVERY Republican house members/statewide race candidates comments about both vaccines and masks and preparing targeted ads which will blanket the state.  If they want try to rewrite their legacy on COVID 19 as anything but dangerous and deadly, then they should have their own words thrown back in their faces.