Today’s Edition: Biden places children’s health over politics.

August 19, 2021

          Biden isn’t taking a break from doing what he believes is right regardless of potential political blowback. On Wednesday, Biden ordered Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to file civil rights suits against governors who have banned mask mandates in public schools. In ordering the Education Department to act, Biden did not shrink from a controversy that several Republican governors are hoping will serve as a springboard to the Oval Office. Nor did Biden mince words. He said that the Education Department was authorized to file suit against governors who are trying to “block and intimidate” educators and school boards. Cardona was even more blunt:

          [I am] appalled that there are adults who are blind to their blindness, that there are people who are putting policies in place that are putting students and staff at risk. At the end of the day, we shouldn’t be having this conversation. What we’re dealing with now is negligence.

          In ordering the Education Department to act, Biden is following the guidance issued by the CDC for children attending school, i.e., universal masking. The CDC guidance is based on the “highly contagious” nature of the Delta variant that is circulating in most states. Although the CDC acknowledges that vaccination is the most effective treatment against the coronavirus, the FDA has not yet approved vaccinations for children under twelve years of age. Until universal vaccination is available, universal masking is the next best defense.

          Republican governors dispute the CDC guidance, claiming that it is “not based on science.” They also exalt “individual liberty” over “social responsibility.” On the science front, the few studies that exist regarding effectiveness of masks in schools are based on data from 2020 and therefore do not address the Delta variant. But those studies identified a benefit from masking in the school setting. Governors like Abbott (TX), DeSantis (FL), and Ducey (AZ) nonetheless claim that masking is a personal choice, despite the fact that attending school in cramped classrooms is compulsory. Drunk driving is a personal choice, but it is a felony.

          The anti-vaccination disinformation promoted by GOP governors is killing people as surely as drunk driving is killing innocent travelers. A reader sent an analysis from The Commonwealth Fund that calculates the number of lives that could have been saved if Texas and Florida achieved a vaccination rate of 74%. See “Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in FL and TX Could've Saved 4,700 Lives.” Because of the low vaccination rates of Florida and Texas, they currently have the greatest number of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths—all courtesy of the reckless policies of Abbott and DeSantis.

          Biden may not persuade hardcore Republican antivaxxers, but he doesn’t need to. The tide is beginning to turn because of concern by parents who believe vaccines and masking will protect their children. Four schoolboards in Florida have imposed mask mandates despite the ban on such mandates by DeSantis. See Talking Points Memo, “The Threats Aren’t Working: More School Districts Defy GOP Guvs’ Orders Against Mask Requirements.”

          Ultimately, the waxing and waning of the coronavirus will decide the political debate, but we can’t gamble with the health of our children. Biden is right to chart an aggressive course against GOP governors who are using kids as pawns to advance their presidential aspirations. Biden has opted to put the health of our children ahead of the political risk posed by his defense of mask mandates. Good for him, and good for all Americans.

Deconstructing the media’s criticism of Biden over the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

          In attempting to assign blame for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the media has turned to the architects of the failed Afghanistan strategy for analysis. These proponents of the Afghan war misled and concealed the truth from the American public for a decade but are now explaining why Joe Biden is at fault for not anticipating the collapse of the Afghan army. Media outlets hungry for guests who will criticize Biden give these “analysts” free rein to assign blame to Biden without ever noting that the analysts themselves are responsible for the strategy in Afghanistan and for misleading the American public.

          Judd Legum deconstructs a supposed “news article” in the Washington Post that is largely sourced to three officials who played a significant role in shaping the nation-building effort in Afghanistan and who consistently assured Americans that those efforts were succeeding. The Washington Post fails to mention the role their sources played in the failed effort, but happily prints their criticisms of Biden. I urge you to read Legum’s analysis in Popular Information, “The media's systemic failure on Afghanistan.” You will be a more informed consumer of the news after reading Legum’s analysis.

          As an aside, if you are a fan of Heather Cox Richardson and this newsletter, I think you will like Judd Legum’s daily blog, “Popular Information.” He is a first-rate independent journalist who frequently takes deep dives into subjects that are under-reported elsewhere. Legum is the journalist who has been leading the charge on identifying U.S. corporations who are contributing to the Sedition Caucus.

California Recall: How to vote.

          Readers are asking for guidance on how to vote in the California recall election.  Here is the best guidance I can give: (a) Vote NO on the first question on the ballot regarding recall; (b) do vote on the second question about which candidate should succeed Gavin Newsom if he is recalled.

          Now comes the hard part: Who to vote for on the second question. Virtually all of the candidates are Republicans (the only Democrat is a YouTube influencer seeking to gain subscribers who doesn’t have a chance). Here is what the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board suggested after conducting interviews with the leading candidates:

          We have concluded, after searching debate and reflection, that [not voting for a replacement] is a cowardly way out and would hand the decision-making power to others who do vote — and those voters may be uninformed [and] irrationally angry. . . .We’re left to conclude that voters who oppose the recall should also vote for a replacement . . . But who?

          That leaves us with the least terrible of all these bad options: former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a moderate Republican. He is perhaps the most conventional gubernatorial candidate and has the executive experience and mature temperament that other recall candidates lack.

Speaking of Florida . . .

In 2022, two of Florida’s most objectionable Republican leaders will stand for election: Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Ron DeSantis. Two polls were released on Wednesday in the race for Rubio’s seat. The leading challenger is Democratic Representative Val Demings. One polls shows Demings and Rubio virtually tied, while a second poll gives Rubio a 12 point advantage. See The Hill, “First polls show mixed picture on Rubio-Demings race.” The fates of Rubio and DeSantis may be intertwined—and may turn on the course of the Delta variant in Florida. Trump won Florida twice, so Democrats face an uphill battle. But there is a long way to go and both polls show that Demings is a serious challenger. Let’s keep an eye on Florida and help defeat Rubio and DeSantis in 2022. Stay tuned!

Concluding Thoughts.

The media coverage of the end of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan is overheated. It may unfairly or unintentionally denigrate the contribution of the Americans who volunteered for duty in Afghanistan. Three things are true: (a) the effort to decapitate Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was designed to protect Americans at home and abroad; (b) it appears that U.S. political and military leaders misled the American public about the cost, status, and likelihood of building a durable central government; and (c) the American men and women who volunteered to serve did so out of a sense of duty and patriotism.

          Those who served in Afghanistan may be feeling betrayed, angry, and bewildered by the sudden collapse of the government and the unrelenting criticism of an effort they believed was protecting America from additional terrorist attacks. As each of us writes and speaks about the war and its aftermath, we should not conflate errors in strategy and judgment by politicians with the service of military personnel who did their best in extremely challenging conditions. To the men and women who served in Afghanistan, we owe our thanks, understanding, and support during a difficult and painful time.

          Talk to you tomorrow!