Ep. 1181 - Does Biden Actually Have A Covid Strategy?

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode argues that COVID policy has become overly politicized, with federal leaders, public health officials, and teachers’ unions using centralized power and rhetoric to justify slow vaccine rollout and prolonged school closures. Shapiro criticizes Fauci and Biden for shifting targets, defends decentralized state approaches, and frames the impeachment trial and media backlash at Politico as further examples of political theater and censorship.

Main Topics: COVID trends, variants, and vaccine rollout (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro reviews falling case/death numbers, warns about more transmissible variants, and says the real solution is rapid vaccine distribution rather than expanded federal control. Critique of Fauci and Biden on pandemic messaging (Priority: 5/5): He argues Fauci and Biden repeatedly changed expectations on masks, vaccination targets, and timelines, then blamed the public for not following expert guidance. School reopenings and teachers’ unions (Priority: 5/5): A major segment attacks teachers’ unions for keeping schools closed, calling their demands politically motivated and detached from evidence about child or teacher risk. Impeachment trial of Donald Trump (Priority: 4/5): Shapiro says the Senate trial is largely symbolic and politically strategic rather than a principled effort likely to end in conviction. Politico backlash over guest-editing the Playbook (Priority: 4/5): He describes internal staff anger at Politico after he wrote a Playbook column, using it as an example of media intolerance toward conservative voices. Censorship, social media, and ‘woke’ orthodoxy (Priority: 4/5): The segment closes with broader concerns about Twitter’s BirdWatch, media blacklisting, and what Shapiro sees as coordinated efforts to silence dissent.

Key Arguments: COVID cases and deaths were declining at the time, but variants could create a new wave, making vaccine distribution the urgent priority. The U.S. should not be judged against countries like New Zealand because America’s scale and travel volume make a total shutdown unrealistic. Public health authorities have been inconsistent, including Fauci’s shifting guidance on masks and vaccination numbers. A centralized, top-down national pandemic strategy is not clearly superior; some decentralized state responses performed better than heavily locked-down states like California and New York. Lockdowns and school closures produced severe collateral damage, including rising poverty, overdoses, and suicide risk. Teachers’ unions are politicized and often act against students’ interests by refusing in-person schooling despite limited evidence of added risk. The impeachment effort is a political tool meant to preserve Trump as a Democratic foil or fracture Republican politics, not a serious path to conviction. Media institutions and social platforms are increasingly using informal censorship and internal pressure to keep conservative voices out.

Data Points: U.S. diagnosed COVID cases at peak: About 308,000 on January 8 - Shapiro cites Worldometer data to show cases were declining from the January peak. U.S. diagnosed COVID cases later level: About 152,000 per day - He says current case counts had fallen to roughly half the peak. U.S. deaths at peak: About 4,000 per day - He identifies mid-January as the death peak. U.S. deaths later level: About 3,400–3,500 per day - He says deaths were slightly declining. U.S. COVID deaths per million rank: About 11th globally - Used to argue the U.S. was not the worst-performing country. Florida deaths per million rank: 26th in the United States - Cited to challenge media narratives about Florida’s COVID performance. Fauci federal salary: $417,000 in 2019 - Presented as evidence of Fauci’s unusually high compensation. Biden vaccine goal (clarified): 100 million shots in 100 days - Shapiro notes Fauci walked back the original phrasing of 100 million people. Biden revised daily vaccine target: 1.5 million shots a day - Biden later said the U.S. might reach this level. Current daily vaccine pace mentioned: About 1.3 million shots a day - Shapiro says the country was already near or above Biden’s earlier target. U.S. poverty increase in late 2020: 2.4 percentage points - Bloomberg-cited estimate tied to pandemic policy impacts. Additional people in poverty: 8 million - Estimated increase nationwide. Black poverty increase: 5.4 percentage points (2.4 million people) - He highlights disproportionate harm to Black Americans. Chicago Teachers Union participation: 86% of 25,000 members voted - Described in the CTU refusal to return in person. CTU vote against reopening: 71% opposed the district’s plan - Used to show strong union resistance to reopening. Politico staff letter signatories: More than 100 staffers - Staffers complained about publishing Shapiro’s Playbook piece.

Pivotal Quotes: "When public health issues become politically charged, like wearing a mask or not becomes a political statement, it is, you cannot imagine how destructive that is to any unified public health message." — Anthony Fauci: Quoted by Shapiro while discussing politicization of public health messaging. "I believe we should make school classrooms safe and secure for the students, for the teachers, and for the help that's in those schools maintaining the facilities." — Joe Biden: Biden’s response when asked whether teachers should return to schools now. "We must not ignore the culture of white supremacy and white privilege." — Scott Wilson: Shapiro cites this as an example of teachers’ union rhetoric opposing school reopening.

Implications: Listeners are meant to view pandemic policy, school closures, impeachment, and media practices as deeply political rather than neutral or science-driven. The broader warning is that centralized control and censorship are expanding while accountability and open debate shrink.