It's never easy being the Democratic governor of a famously red state. Still, it was a surprise Friday morning when Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) came out strongly against President Biden's workplace vaccine mandate.
"While I appreciate the intention to keep people safe, a goal I share, I don't believe this directive is the correct, or the most effective, solution for Kansas," said Kelly, who beat notorious anti-immigration firebrand Kris Kobach (R) in 2018. "I will seek a resolution that continues to recognize the uniqueness of our state and builds on our ongoing efforts to combat a once-in-a-century crisis."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The question is whether Kelly's move is a one-off or if other moderate Democrats will join her in opposing Biden's mandate.
Politically speaking, this might be the moment to do it. COVID cases are falling and Biden has become fairly unpopular. The United Kingdom has just given approval to Merck's antiviral pill, and Pfizer on Friday morning announced its own anti-COVID pill has proven effective. Democratic politicians who are nervous about their futures might decide they can gamble on these developments to hold the line against the pandemic while giving themselves space from the president.
Whether that's a great idea for public health isn't clear. Vaccines work. And despite all the hubbub and anger, vaccine mandates have proven fairly effective at getting hesitant workers to finally get their shots. (There are exceptions.) The new pills may be great at reducing hospitalizations and deaths after you've already contracted COVID, but doctors believe vaccines help slow the spread of the virus — and, with it, the possibility of new variants.
We've seen politicians gamble on the end of the pandemic before, only for hospitalizations and deaths to come roaring back. That's not worked out great for health or politics. But Kelly has apparently calculated that this time is different — we'll see if other panicking Democrats follow her lead.
-
Political cartoons for November 29Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include Kash Patel's travel perks, believing in Congress, and more
-
Nigel Farage: was he a teenage racist?Talking Point Farage’s denials have been ‘slippery’, but should claims from Reform leader’s schooldays be on the news agenda?
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
US government shutdown: why the Democrats ‘caved’In the Spotlight The recent stalemate in Congress could soon be ‘overshadowed by more enduring public perceptions’
-
A crowded field of Democrats is filling up the California governor’s raceIn the Spotlight Over a dozen Democrats have declared their candidacy
-
Will Chuck Schumer keep his job?Today's Big Question Democrats are discontented and pointing a finger at the Senate leader
-
Will California tax its billionaires?Talking Points A proposed one-time levy would shore up education and Medicaid
-
A free speech debate is raging over sign language at the White HouseTalking Points The administration has been accused of excluding deaf Americans from press briefings
-
Is Trump a lame duck president?Talking Points Republicans are considering a post-Trump future
-
Democrats split as Senate votes to end shutdownSpeed Read The proposed deal does not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, the Democrats’ main demand
-
Democrats seek 2026 inspiration from special election routsIN THE SPOTLIGHT High-profile wins are helping a party demoralized by Trump’s reelection regain momentum
