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Why seeing Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton get the COVID-19 vaccine on live TV matters

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With vaccine rollouts for the novel coronavirus on the horizon, humanity is getting its first ray of hope for a return to normalcy in 2021. That normalcy, however, will depend on enough people's willingness to get the vaccine to achieve some level of herd immunity. While some people are ready to jump in line immediately for the vaccine, others are reticent to get the shots.

Hesitancy runs the gamut from outright anti-vaxxers to people who trust the time-tested vaccines we already have but are unsure about these new ones. Scientists have tried to educate the public about the development of the new mRNA vaccines and why they feel confident in their safety, but getting that information through the noise of hot takes and misinformation is tricky.

To help increase the public's confidence in taking the vaccine, three former presidents have volunteered to get their shots on camera. President George W. Bush initially reached out to Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx to ask how he could help promote a vaccine once it's approved. Presidents Obama and Bill Clinton have both stated that they will take the vaccine if it is approved and will do so publicly if it will help more people feel comfortable taking it. CNN says it has also reached out to President Jimmy Carter to see if he is on board with the idea as well.

A big part of responsible leadership is setting an example. Though these presidents are no longer in the position of power they once held, they are in a position of influence and have offered to use that influence for the greater good.

Of course, some will call the former presidents Deep State actors, or puppets for the pedophile cabal, or co-conspirators in Bill Gates' and George Soros' evil plot to destroy humanity, or or some other paranoid, tinfoil hat goofiness. But for the folks living in normal reality, such bipartisan examples of leadership and solidarity with the American people will be appreciated.

And for those who doubt that it will make a difference, remember that Princess Diana's simple act of hugging a child with AIDS sparked a sea change in public perception of people who were HIV-positive. Seeing her fearless compassion, even for a photo op, made a difference in the way society viewed HIV and AIDS.

Vaccine reticence isn't new, and some of it is understandable. In 1976, a new strain of H1N1 (swine flu) prompted President Gerald Ford to push a mass vaccination program that was halted after it was discovered that the vaccine was associated with a small increase in Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Of the 45 million Americans who received the vaccine, 450 developed the syndrome—a tiny percentage, but enough to undermine public trust.

As Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of WHO's emergencies program, pointed out early in the pandemic, the only thing worse than a pandemic would be a bad vaccine. But the accelerated development and trialing of the vaccines that are currently being evaluated does not mean they have been rushed or are unsafe. Obviously, scientists have wanted to get a vaccine made and distributed as quickly as possible—but also as safely as possible. And while it's tempting to assume that a vaccine being rolled out in a little less than a year means it's risky, since the process usually takes much longer, that really is just an assumption.

The reality is that the virus itself is risky, both in the potential for death as well as long-term health impacts. And while impressively quick, the vaccines we're seeing will have gone through sufficient trials to put most people's fears to rest. While people fret about not knowing the long-term effects of the vaccine, Dr. Fauci stated in an interview with the Washington Post that in 90 to 95 percent of the vaccines we already have, long-term adverse effects have revealed themselves in the first 30 to 45 days. While vaccines will continue to be monitored for a year or two to see if anything unexpected pops up, Fauci says he feels confident in recommending everyone get the vaccine once it's approved by the FDA.

"The speed was based on very exquisite, scientific advances and an enormous amount of resources that were put into Operation Warp Speed to make this happen," Fauci said. "There was no compromise of safety, nor was there compromise of scientific integrity."

"I can tell you when my turn comes up and the FDA says that this is safe and effective, I, myself, will get vaccinated and I will recommend that my family gets vaccinated," he added.

Our understanding of science, immunology, and vaccine development has improved greatly in the past 50 years. So have the protocols, regulations, and approval processes for safety and efficacy. The whole point of having institutions and independent monitoring boards and transparency is to make sure things are being done as safely as possible.

Hopefully, our trust in science, understanding of the risks of COVID-19, and example set by leadership in our country will prompt enough people to get vaccinated so we can finally make our way to the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.


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Ellen and George W. Bush's friendship begs the question: Should we all just get along?

via Paid Man Gets Bored / Twitter

On Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys took on the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. While it wasn't a huge shock that the favored Packers pulled off a 34 - 24 victory, people were bewildered to see Ellen DeGeneres, George W. Bush, and their spouses, sitting next to each other in Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones' suite.

The picture of the lesbian liberal comedian sitting next to a former Republican president who called for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, didn't sit well with a lot of folks on social media.

While in office, Bush was nearly as polarizing as Donald Trump is today, but these days he's seen more as America's goofy old Uncle than a war monger who put our economy into a tailspin. He has actually become more popular with liberals in the Trump-era for being a critic of the current president.

In 2015, he said that he's "mellowed" on the issue of gay marriage. Which is an easy stance to take at a time when there's no benefit for him to discriminate anymore.

RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres just opened up about being sexually abused. It's very powerful.

The next day on her show, Ellen discussed the blow-back she received on social media asking why is it wrong to be friends with people with different political beliefs?

She addressed the criticism she faced for sitting next to Bush saying, "People were upset."

"They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?" DeGeneres asked. " A lot of people were mad. And they did what people do when they're mad... they tweet."

She then shared some of the positive messages she received from people who are tired of the partisan divide in America and saw them sitting together as a sign of unity in a fractured country.

"Ellen and George Bush together makes me have faith in America again."

"Exactly. Here's the thing. I'm friends with George Bush," she said. "In fact, I'm friends with a lot of people who don't share the same beliefs that I have."

"But just because I don't agree with someone on everything doesn't mean that I'm not going to be friends with them," she said. "When I say, 'be kind to one another,' I don't only mean the people that think the same way that you do. I mean be kind to everyone."

So is Ellen right to buddy up with someone who fanned the flames of anti-gay bigotry in the United States two administrations ago? That answer is up to Ellen. Just as it's up to all of us to draw our own boundaries with whom we choose to associate.

RELATED: Missy Elliott sang backup for her 'funky white sister' on Ellen and it was pure magic.

Political beliefs don't exist in a bubble, they are a reflection of who we are as a people and we rightly tend to choose friends who share their same values.

There have been a lot of relationships that have ended during the Trump years. Trump thinks that it's acceptable to separate children from families, kowtow to vicious autocrats, and openly discriminate against Hispanic people and Muslims.

It's morally upright to find that that appalling and to be critical of those who think Trump is in the right. Why should anyone feel compelled to accept those who support propagators of hate?

Political tribalism and red-state blue state fractures are one of the ugliest parts of American culture. The idea of two people from different sides of the aisle sitting together, chomping on popcorn and watching America's favorite sport together is, no doubt, a heartwarming image.

But it, at best, the image serves to show that choosing who we associate with is a tough decision, as it should be. There are good people in America on both sides of the political spectrum and everyone thinks they support the team that's right.

So the real question becomes: Where is their heart?

It can be hard to see that a conservative can support Trump or can have cheered on George W. Bush while the U.S. murdered a million people unnecessarily during the Iraq War, and think their hearts are in the right place.

However, human beings are fragile, dynamic, hypocritical, emotional, and, for the most part, irrational creatures. It's probably best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt if they're coming from the right place ... but that doesn't mean you have to.
























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21 of the best jokes from the Clinton, Bush, and Obama White House Correspondents dinners.

The White House Correspondents' Association dinner is an opportunity for the politically powerful to showcase their ability to take a joke. Naturally, Donald Trump won't go near it.

For the second straight year, Trump won't be in attendance for the dinner. Not exactly known for his ability to poke fun at himself or smile along, it makes sense that he wouldn't want to be there for an evening that both undercuts and exaggerates the press's supposedly adversarial relationship with our nation's leaders.

While the event itself dates back more than 100 years, it wasn't until 1993 that C-SPAN began airing the whole thing live. Since then, comedians, such as Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, Drew Carey, Wanda Sykes, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers, have taken the stage to jab at the politicians and the press — all in good fun.

Let's look back at some of the funniest and most daring jokes from past White House Correspondents' Association dinners, made by celebs and politicos alike.

Larry Wilmore in 2016 took jabs at the obscurity of C-SPAN and a failed promise.

"It is good to be on C-SPAN. Glad I’m not on your rival network, 'No input, HDMI1.'"

"Oh, I just got a note from the president saying that if you want another drink, you should order it now because the bar will be closing down. Of course, he said the same thing about Guantanamo, so you have at least another eight years."

Comedian Larry Wilmore hosted in 2016. Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images.

During his final dinner in 2016, President Obama starred in a video contemplating life after the White House.

In 2015, Cecily Strong of "Saturday Night Live" brought up reproductive rights.

"Since I’m only a comedian, I’m not going to try and tell you politicians how to do politics. That would be like you guys telling me what to do with my body. I mean, can you even imagine?"

Joel McHale used his 2014 platform to torch ... well, everyone.

"C-SPAN is like one of those 'Paranormal Activity' movies. It’s just grainy shots of empty rooms interrupted by images of people you’re pretty sure died a few years ago."

"Jeb Bush might announce that he’s running. Wow, another Bush in the White House. Is it already time for our every-10-years surprise for Iraq?"

"At this point, CNN is like the RadioShack at a sad strip mall. You don’t know how it stayed in business this long, you don’t know anyone that shops there, and they just fired Piers Morgan."

"[Fox News anchors are the] Mount Rushmore of keeping old people angry."

Joel McHale and President Obama during the 2014 dinner. Photo by Olivier Douliery/ABACAUSA.com.

In 2013, Conan O'Brien took on Twitter, Mitt Romney, and Obama's name.

"If in 1995 you told me that in 2013 we'd have an African-American president with a middle name Hussein who was just elected to a second term in a sluggish economy, I would have said, ‘Oh, he must have run against Mitt Romney.'"

"If any of you are live-tweeting this event, please use the hashtag '#incapableoflivinginthemoment. Yes, also to any U.S. senators here tonight, if you would like to switch either your dessert or your position on gay marriage, please signal a waiter."

Comedian Conan O'Brien hosted the 2013 event. Photo by Pete Marovich/Bloomberg.

Jimmy Kimmel joked about Occupy Wall Street and Mitt Romney in 2012.

"Americans are in terrible shape. You can even tell how out of shape we are by the way we protest. We used to march. Now we occupy.”

On Mitt Romney: "You can't have a beer with him, because he doesn't drink. You can't have a cup of coffee with him, because he can't have caffeine. You can't even play Monopoly with him because he keeps trying to put the dog on the car."

Seth Meyers jabbed at Donald Trump and the Huffington Post during his 2011 set.

"Donald Trump has said he's running for president as a Republican, which is surprising because I thought he was running as a joke."

"The New York Times party used to be free, but tonight there's a cover, so like everyone else I'll probably just go to the Huffington Post party. And the Huffington Post party is asking people to go to other parties first and just steal food and drinks and bring it from there."

In 2011, Obama took a few (joking) swipes at Donald Trump and his presidential ambitions. Oops.

“Now, I know that he’s taken some flak lately, but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate to rest than the Donald. Now he can get to focusing on the issues that matter. Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened at Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac? All kidding aside, we all know about your credentials and experience. In 'Celebrity Apprentice,' the men team’s cooking did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks, but you recognized that this was a lack of leadership, so you fired Gary Busey. These are the kinds of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well-handled, sir. Well-handled."

In 2015, Obama brought up Keegan-Michael Key to play the role of Luther, his anger translator. Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images.

During the 2008 event, Craig Ferguson got laughs with his deadpan suggestion that Dick Cheney lives in a dungeon.

"Tonight we mark the end of an era. George W. Bush leaves in eight months. The vice president is already moving out of his residence. It takes longer than you think to pack up an entire dungeon."

Comedian Craig Ferguson hosted the 2008 event. Photo by Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images.

Stephen Colbert's 2006 performance is the stuff of legend, but didn't exactly win him many friends at the time.

"I know there’s some polls out there saying that this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us, we don’t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in ‘reality.’ And reality has a well-known liberal bias."

"Here's how it works: the president makes decisions, the press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put 'em through a spellcheck and go home. ... Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know — fiction!"

Comedian Stephen Colbert performed during the 2006 dinner. Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/Getty Images.

In 2004, President George W. Bush got a lot of criticism when he showed a sideshow of him jokingly looking around the Oval Office for weapons of mass destruction.

Sure, nothing should be off-limits in comedy, but maybe making a joke about how we were led to war based on a lie is a bit callous.

President Clinton played the role of a bored lame-duck president in this 2000 video.

In 1995, Conan O'Brien implored loyal C-SPAN viewers to please find something else to do on a Saturday night.

"I have an announcement for those of you watching this event live on C-SPAN. For God's sake, it's Saturday night! Go outside! ... There are things you can do!"

President Bill Clinton laughing during the 1996 event. Photo by Ted Mathias/AFP/Getty Images.

The show must go on, as they say.

Last year's host was Hasan Minhaj, who scorched the president with a comparison to King Joffrey from "Game of Thrones." This year, the event will be hosted by Michelle Wolf. It's sure to be as awkward as ever — and it's still pretty strange to see the press rubbing elbows with the same politicians their jobs require them to criticize. But with the world as dark as it is right now, maybe we do need to just find a way to laugh.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj hosted the 2017 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.

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During his 1988 campaign, George H.W. Bush warned his son about 'new friends.'

'As we move closer to November, you'll find you've got a lot of new friends. They may become real friends. Or...'

When first running for president in 1988, George H.W. Bush sent a letter to his oldest son, George W. Bush, who was 41 years old at the time.

"We are about to sail into uncharted waters, in terms of family scrutiny," he told his son in the letter, which was shared by The New York Times in 2015. "We've all been through a lot of inquiry and microscopic probing; however, it'll get worse, not just for our family, but for [fellow presidential candidates] Dukakis'/Jackson's, too. Hence this letter to family."

With the letter, Bush Sr. sent an April 1988 New York Times article about a distant relative who tried to use "his contact" with the then-vice president to obtain a contract.

Using that as a warning, the elder Bush reminded his son to be wary of "new friends."

Those "new friends" will ask for favors, he warned, reminding his son of the weight and power his name would have as the election drew closer.

It's totally appropriate for a candidate's adult son — especially his oldest son, carrying on his namesake, who has political dreams of his own — to want to help out in a presidential campaign. But there are limits to what can and should be done. A very deliberate line has to be drawn between loyalty and an abuse of power or influence.

"As we move closer to November, you'll find you've got a lot of new friends. They may become real friends. Or if the polls show Dukakis kicking us — there might be some friendships that will vaporize. They'll ask for things — 'Do you know anyone at Commerce? Can you call Joe Doakes at State?'

My plea is this: please do not contact any federal agency or department on anything. A call from a 'Bush' will get returned, but there is a great likelihood that it will be leaked; maybe deliberately misrepresented."

George W. and George H.W. Bush in 2008. Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

If one of those "new friends" were to make a request that could be viewed as an abuse of power, even if the request was legitimate, Bush Sr. asked his son to be careful to avoid even the appearance of improper action or corruption.

"If there is a legitimate inquiry, call my office. It is certainly appropriate to contact your own government, but let's do it through my office so no one can accuse any of the family of trying to use influence.

I know I must sound very defensive, but — believe me — every effort will be made to find some phone call, some inquiry, some letter that can be made to appear improper."

In hindsight, it was a remarkable letter, and another instance where George H.W. Bush showed himself to be a real stand-up guy.

Along with his 1995 letter of resignation to the National Rifle Association and a powerful 1993 letter of congratulations and well wishes to then-president-elect Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush can sometimes feel like an artifact from a fundamentally different time in American politics.

Sure, merely avoiding the appearance of improper action doesn't necessarily mean that the administration was scandal-free — there will always be questions about what Bush knew about the Iran-Contra affair and his office's decision to issue pardons to Reagan-era officials for their involvement, for example — but at least it seemed like politicians made an effort to steer clear of scandal.

He closed out the letter noting that he hoped he would no longer have to send such "preachy letters" and signed it, "Devotedly, Dad." For him, being a good father meant trying to keep his son out of trouble — even if it meant passing up a potentially juicy campaign advantage.

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