Jobs Being Lost Over Vaccines as "My HIPAA" Becomes Memetic
The David Pakman Show - July 26, 2021
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Demented Trump Speech Horrifies World, Scares Children
Donald Trump spoke in Phoenix, Arizona over the weekend at an event held by Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. The event was held in Arizona presumably to be in concert with the ongoing audit of the 2020 election, which Trump supporters believe will ultimately legitimize their misinformation about voter fraud and Joe Biden stealing the election. Trump called what happened in Arizona “only the beginning of the irregularities” and played into the idea that he could be reinstated if the audits and recounts continue. Trump became obsessed during the speech with “routers,” a word which he repeated over and over again without seeming to know what they were. The former president then tried his best to rebrand “the big lie” as the 2020 election itself instead of Trump’s lies about and attempts to undermine the 2020 election. He effectively got away with doing this with the term “fake news” in 2016 and 2017 and now he’s trying to do it again with the term “the big lie.”
Trump then made the pathetic argument that he would have accepted the results of the 2020 election, had only he lost fairly and squarely. The ex-POTUS said, “if I lost the election, I’m okay with that. I’m okay with it. Seriously, if we lost the election, we lose an election. I go home, I’ll start building buildings, I’ll do something, I’ll keep myself busy.” But of course, Trump followed up by saying that this loss doesn’t count because of voter fraud and that’s why he’s justified in behaving the way he is. This is completely unfalsifiable, as Trump can simply accept every election he wins and call every election he loses “rigged.” He went on to say, “if I lost this election, I could handle it pretty easily. When they steal it from you and rig it, that’s not easy and we have to fight.” It should be so transparent what Trump is doing here (and to most of us it is). However, to his loyal supporters, Trump’s logic makes total sense and he can only be a victor or a victim.
Anti-Vax Trumpist Radio Host Hospitalized with COVID
Phil Valentine, a right-wing radio host in Tennessee, is now expressing regret over his skepticism about COVID vaccines after contracting the disease himself. Valentine is currently in critical care at the hospital and is in “very serious condition.” All year, the radio host told his listeners to think twice about getting the shots if they are not at “high risk” of dying from coronavirus. He posted to a blog in December: “What are my odds of getting COVID? They’re pretty low. What are my odds of dying from COVID if I do get it? Probably way less than one percent.” He went on to suggest that if you’re not in a high risk category, “you’re probably safer not getting it.” Shortly after contracting the disease earlier this month, Valentine posted to Facebook that he was doing his “patriotic duty for natural herd immunity.”
After his condition worsened, Valentine changed his tune on the severity of COVID and the need for people to go get vaccinated. His family put out a statement for the radio station that read, “Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an ‘anti-vaxer’ [sic] he regrets not being more vehemently ‘Pro-Vaccine,’ and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon.” The message ended with the statement: “Please continue to pray for his recovery and PLEASE GO GET VACCINATED!” Phil’s brother Mark Valentine announced that after seeing his brother’s condition worsen and all it has put his family through, he has decided to get vaccinated. While it’s great that this could change some minds, and we of course wish Phil Valentine a speedy recovery, it shouldn’t have to take this to convince people to get vaccinated. Too often with conservatives, an issue has to affect them personally before they can change their minds on it. With a little empathy and critical thinking, so many of these problems can be avoided.
From over the weekend:
Biden Approval SOARS Among Independents
Joe Biden’s approval rating is soaring among independents. While it is remaining high among Democrats and remaining low among Republicans, the folks in the middle are now showing their support for the president in large numbers. According to the Ipsos weekly approval tracker, 52% of independents support the president with a 42% disapproval and a 3.5% margin of error. Biden’s approval among independents took a dip in the beginning of the summer, getting as low as 34%. Now, mainly due to his handling of coronavirus, Biden is back on the upswing. There are even some positive signs from Republicans, with 33% supporting the president’s handling of COVID. Sixty-four percent of Americans now believe the fight against the pandemic is going well, whereas only 35% did so back in January. The right-wing propaganda against the Biden administration doesn’t appear to be piercing through their own echo-chambers. If Biden and Democrats can keep this up, they might end up being in a favorable position going into the 2022 and 2024 elections.
--More on the show:
--The Minnesota Vikings' assistant coach Rick Dennison is out of a job after refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine as the NFL rolls out new protocols for vaccinated vs unvaccinated players and staff for the upcoming season
--Fox News propagandist is confronted at a fishing store in Montana by a man named Dan Bailey, which is exactly the technique Carlson encouraged his audience to use against people wearing masks in public just months earlier
--Republican Senator Rand Paul is brutally confronted during a town hall by a woman named Alexis Toon
--More revelations from the new book "I Alone Can Fix It" by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker include that Donald Trump was "almost giddy" during the January 6 Trump riots
--"That's my HIPAA" has become the new refrain by politicians, athletes, and public figures who do not want to discuss their vaccination status when asked by reporters and journalists, but it makes absolutely no sense
--Voicemail caller asks about the Cleveland Indians baseball team changing their name to the Cleveland Guardians
--On the Bonus Show: France & Spain extend new COVID guidelines, defamation lawsuit filed over 1-star reviews, CA Governor signs bill banning police from posting some mug shots on social media, much more...
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