A whopping 73% of Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on basic facts.
And, nearly half of those surveyed didn’t trust the fact-checker organizations either.
That’s according to two polls from the Pew Research Center, which has been studying how people think about democracy, trust in institutions, and the role of information for over 30 years.
From the Big Lie to climate change, we have seen this deep division in America play out on a daily basis. Today, we are witnessing the spread of a dangerous, false narrative that the COVID-19 vaccines aren’t safe or effective. It is threatening our full recovery.
The unvarnished truth is that America is made up of warring tribes that are both manipulating facts and worshiping at the altar of their own curated set of truths, and it is killing the greatest political system ever created: democracy.
Vaccines are highly effective, safe and they are saving lives, including against the highly contagious delta variant.
Yes, there is a small percentage of breakthrough cases where some fully vaccinated people have become infected and gravely ill. According to data analyzed by The New York Times, in Colorado, there have been 312 breakthrough hospitalizations, which represents 1.2% of all COVID hospitalizations and 52 breakthrough deaths which represent 3.1% of all COVID deaths.
Vaccines have done a Herculean job of protecting the overwhelming majority of people from serious illness and full FDA approval is expected in weeks.
Unvaccinated people are still the greatest concern for both infections and transmissions.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has explained that we will face a new cycle of variants that might be worse and will evade the current vaccines if we don’t get the community spread of the delta variant under control.
Nevertheless, the far-right has moved from stop-the-steal to stop-the-vaccine. Prominent Republicans, conservative thought leaders, media networks and right-wing organizations have downplayed the severity of the pandemic and they have actively lied and spread misinformation and stirred up highly charged emotions about the efficacy of vaccines for months.
A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that while 60% said they have been fully vaccinated another 27% indicated that they wouldn’t get vaccinated or weren’t sure. Thatap not enough to get us to herd immunity.
The resistance is highest amongst the conservatives, those with less education, and individuals who live in the South or Midwest. Thirty percent of self-identified Republicans, Trump supporters, and conservatives said they would not get the vaccine in direct correlation to their echo chamber of people spewing fear and misinformation.
Eighty-five percent of those who won’t be vaccinated believe that the threat of the coronavirus was exaggerated for political reasons. Ninety percent believe the possible side effects of the vaccine are more concerning than the coronavirus itself. And, 51% of those who won’t be vaccinated believe the U.S. government is using the vaccine to microchip the population.
We can’t even get out of our own way to protect the health and safety of our family, friends, and community, let alone our co-workers and our continued economic recovery.
And, thatap maddening. Most states are now experiencing high levels of community transmission again. The current national 7-day moving average of daily new cases has increased by 33.7% over the past week.
In addition to leading to more illness and death, this surge may disrupt our economic recovery and all of the important investments we have made over the past year.
Last year one of the first signs of the COVID-19’s impact was on travel and dining. July consumer credit card data analyzed by JP Morgan Chase shows spending on air travel fell by 20% in late July as delta variant cases surged. Southwest Airlines said the recent surge in cases is causing bookings to slow and cancellations to rise. Industry sources are also evidencing a decline in restaurant reservations.
With no end in sight, mandatory vaccinations are now being required by many governmental entities and agencies for their employees. Businesses are likewise starting to deploy the same tactic as they fear an economic relapse. With it comes the intensified consternation from the right-wing machine in this country filling Americans and their followers with doubts, fears, and baseless conspiracy theories.
Facts matter. If our democracy is to survive, we have a lot of work to do because as Abraham Lincoln aptly said, a house divided against itself cannot stand. We could stand to channel a little more Lincoln if we’re to find our way home to the common ground that was the birthplace of democracy.
We haven’t yet been to war with our neighbors, although our anger and isolation are worrying. Perhaps if we can find ways to bind up our nation’s wounds, finding facts that we share won’t be far behind.
Doug Friednash is a Denver native, a partner with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck and the former chief of staff for Gov. John Hickenlooper.
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