Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick blames black Texans for the COVID crisis created by Gov Greg Abbott & GOP.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick attempted to blame black Texans for the COVID crisis created by Gov. Greg Abbott & the GOP.

Dan Patrick shows his colors, and it ain’t pretty

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is not dumb. He sure knows how to play the blame-the-black-guy game. Republican policies implemented under Governor Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and their irresponsible Republican Party are directly responsible for Texas’ COVID surge fiasco.

Abbott attempted to blame black people for the surge. Unfortunately, the population spread lays waste to that lie. And, in fact, a tweet by Dr. Jorge A. Caballero, MD, puts it into context.

Per the Census Bureau, 50% of unvaccinated adults in Texas are White (non-Hispanic)

There are 3 unvaccinated White adults for every 1 unvaccinated Black adult in Texas

1 in 3 #COVID19 cases in Texas have been among White individuals

Oh yeah, and Dan Patrick is a racist.

Twitter

The Houston Chronicle reported Patrick’s ill-advised statements as follows.

People criticizing the Republican leadership of Texas for the state’s rising COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths should instead blame unvaccinated African Americans, said Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick in a Thursday night interview with Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham.

“The Democrats like to blame Republicans,” continued Patrick, a Republican. “Well, the biggest groups in most states is African Americans who are not vaccinated. Last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties.” …

“I promise you can’t make this stuff up! WELCOME TO TEXAS…” tweeted Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Dallas, whose school district became the first in Texas to require masks ahead of a return to in-person classes.

KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) keeps good data about vaccinations by state and by race. Instead of making it a racial issue, Abbott and Patrick should try leading by example and taking care of all in the state.

Racial disparities in vaccination rates between blacks and whites should be no talking point for anyone, let alone Republicans. There are historical factors of trust and racialized healthcare deserts that make it surprising that the vaccination disparity in Texas is as low as it is.