Well, with the COVID Delta variant swirling, the liberal media panicking, and the experts peddling more fearmongering, especially when it comes to children under 12, it’s no shock the Biden White House is mulling new mask mandates. The unvaccinated account for most of the hospitalizations and fatalities as of now, but we’re not going to see massive nationwide spikes as we did over the holidays last year. Not going to happen due to the availability of vaccines, but no doubt the fear porn is about to be shoved down our throats again. It won’t be aggressive, however. It cannot be. There’s a midterm election. It’s the same reason why the Biden administration isn’t going full bore on mandatory vaccinations.
There are tens of millions of unvaccinated Americans who are also eligible to vote. Do you really want to kick that hornet’s nest? Inflation is rising. It could be a more salient 2022 issue. Violent crime is also an issue. The economy is in a state of anemia. And all of this as Democrats barely cling onto their majorities in the House and Senate. This will be classic ‘all talk, no action’ theater. Or at the very least they’ll try to delegate this out to other agencies, giving them the ‘well, the CDC gave a recommendation. We’re just following their advice’ escape hatch (via The Hill) [emphasis mine]:
The White House is reportedly in talks with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other top administration officials on whether to push for updated mask guidance amid a surge in delta variant infections across the country.
Six people familiar with the discussions told The Washington Post that talks are still in the early stages, though officials said any updated guidelines on wearing masks would come directly from the CDC.
Under the CDC’s current health guidelines, Americans who are fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks in most settings, though a federal mask mandate remains in place for airlines and other forms of public transportation.
[…]
Officials who spoke to the Post said that the White House aims to maintain a hands-off approach and leave it up to the CDC on the best path forward for mask guidelines.
[…]
“At this time, we have no intention of changing our masking guidance,” CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said in a statement.
Yeah, they’re backing away from the table on this one. It’s annoying. They can pound sand regarding new mask mandates, but just keep an eye on this one. It’s not a slam dunk. It’s the art of the show here. They want to look like they’re being proactive. This whole debate is fraught with political danger which means these guys aren’t going to roll the dice. It also exposes that if such decisions can wait until after the midterms, the situation is not dire.