Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson could not give a coherent answer to why object to a COVID vaccine and not others that are mandatory.
Asa Hutchinson continues to make a fool of himself
Jake Tapper embarrassed Asa Hutchinson and he amazingly did not particularly change his tune on the ridiculousness of his vaccine position. This exchange is probative. Watch the entire clip for the COVID vaccine exchange.
Jake Tapper: Arkansas requires children entering schools to be vaccinated for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, chickenpox. Once it is fully approved by the FDA, would it save lives if you added the COVID vaccine to this list for mandatory vaccines for children?
Asa Hutchinson: Well, let’s look at that more deeply. First of all, those are state-by-state vaccine requirements. And so the federal government has never mandated what happens in the states and schools.
Jake Tapper: No, I’m asking you.
Asa Hutchinson: Those are state-by-state decisions.
Jake Tapper: Yes. I’m just talking about what Arkansas mandates. And these are Arkansas mandates.
Asa Hutchinson: Absolutely. And so there may be a time in the future that you would want to mandate that in the schools. But that time is not now. We need to have more experience with that. We need to have more public acceptance of it, of the vaccine. And so it could happen down the road. It also depends upon the severity of the COVID outbreak and whether the cases skyrocket again or not. Right now, they’re at a very low level in Arkansas. And so it can happen. It may happen. But now’s not the right time to do that. We need to know more information and to be able to build public confidence at a greater point. But it is a state decision.
It continues to amaze that the governor is unable to see the inconsistency of his position. It is deeper than willful ignorance. It is criminal.