The Point: A depressing number on Republicans and the vaccine

View this email in your browser   August 2, 2021  | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski A depressing number on Republicans and the vaccine The White House announced Monday that 70% of eligible Americans have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.   Which is good!   Also on Monday a new Monmouth University national poll came out that showed 31% of Republicans saying they will likely never get the vaccine. Never. As in not ever. Which is bad. Really, really bad.   And you should keep that 31% number top of mind when you read things like this on President Joe Biden's plans for the week:   "The President has multiple events focused on the nationwide, and global, effort to vaccinate more people and combat the spread of variants, an opportunity to reset the administration's messaging after a series of announcements last week left many Americans confused about the state of the virus."   Because never means never, it would appear as though 3 in 10 Republicans are simply not even open to persuasion on getting the vaccine. They aren't waiting for more information. Or for better incentives. They simply refuse to get the vaccine under any and all circumstances.   Why? Well, the poll didn't ask. According to anecdotes within that 31%, however, at least some of them aren't getting the vaccine to "own the libs."   This is, of course, ridiculous. Mostly because the Covid-19 vaccines are remarkably effective at keeping you from being hospitalized or dying from the virulent Delta strain that is currently spreading across America.   But even if you grant the idea that someone doesn't need to be vaccinated because they have the freedom to make bad choices, the fact remains that their choice not to be vaccinated affects a lot of people.   Because in order to be relatively free of this coronavirus nightmare, we need to reach herd immunity, meaning that future strains of the virus can't rage through the population -- as Delta is doing right now -- because enough of us have the antibodies to stop it in its tracks.   Which keeps the immunocompromised -- and others unable to get the vaccine -- safe.  The Point: The selfish acts of some -- and the utter failure to acknowledge we are ALL interconnected when it comes to fighting this deadly virus -- will ensure it continues to hospitalize and kill our fellow Americans far longer than it should.   -- Chris   QUOTE OF THE DAY "Sometimes the conversation has been fun, sometimes it's not been so much fun." -- Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester on the G10 group of senators who negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure agreement. MEANWHILE, IN OHIO Keep an eye out for two big congressional primaries in Ohio on Tuesday. Here are the subplots we'll be watching: 11th District Democratic primary: Former state senator and prominent surrogate for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns Nina Turner is battling establishment-backed Shontel Brown, the Cuyahoga County Democratic chairwoman and county council member, in a race that also features 11 other long-shot candidates bidding to represent the 11th District, which stretches from Cleveland south to Akron. 15th District Republican primary:  It's a crowded race, with close to a dozen Republicans still vying for the congressional seat. This has led multiple Republican operatives, both in Ohio and nationally, to speculate that it is eminently possible for former President Donald Trump's candidate, coal lobbyist Mike Carey, to lose the primary -- and to acknowledge that yet another loss for Trump would dent his standing as a Republican kingmaker.    The winner of each party primary will be the favored candidate to win the general elections in November.  CHRIS' GOOD READS The pervasiveness and longevity of the "Big Lie" -- that Donald Trump actually won the 2020 election -- has stunned me. And I didn't think I could be stunned anymore. The New Yorker's Jane Mayer has produced an amazing piece of journalism that delves deep into who is providing the funding to keep this falsehood afloat.   David Brooks is always interesting when it comes to our cultural zeitgeist. In his latest for The Atlantic, he blames our current morass on the creative class. The last week has been a bad one for the White House on Covid-19. Politico looks into the mask messaging problems and wonders if Biden can get it all back on track. The Los Angeles Times editorial board isn't a big fan of the California recall process. This Vox piece on the search for the perfect butt is both terrifying and un-put-down-able. Chess is cool now. And this New Yorker profile of Hou Yifan, the woman trying to be the first female world champion, is riveting. MUSICAL INTERLUDE The new Bleachers album is here! And it has cameos by Bruce Springsteen and Lana Del Rey! It's called "Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night." And it's awesome.   -- Chris MONDAY's MUST-SEE TWEETS 1. Show this to your vaccine-hesitant friends and family 2. Ron Johnson gets it wrong again 3. I did a 🧵about Juice WRLD and mental illness 4. Advice for life 5. What's the opposite of "Woooooooooooo?" ONE BIG Q2 HAUL $289 million Democratic donors donated $289 million through the online fundraising platform ActBlue during the second quarter of this year, in what the group touts as a sign of early grassroots energy ahead of next year's hotly contested midterm elections. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Unsubscribe from this list Check out other CNN Newsletters Create your CNN Account Share the Point Newsletter Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.   Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on: Our mailing address is: One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303   Copyright © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved.

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