REPUBLICANS PRACTICE UNPOPULARISM

Democrats are wondering if the only way they can prevent electoral disaster is "popularism" -- limiting themselves to policy positions that are very popular. By contrast, Republicans just don't care what the general public thinks.

The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday issued a fine over $3.5 million to a county government for violating the state's ban on vaccine passports.

The Leon County government was fined $3.57 million for what the Florida Department of Health called a "blatant violation of the law relating to the ban of vaccine passports in our state."

"It is unacceptable that Leon County violated Florida law, infringed on current and former employees' medical privacy, and fired loyal public servants because of their personal health decisions,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in the announcement of the fine.

According to an August poll, Floridians support vaccine mandates.

Clear majorities support vaccine passports for a wide range of public activities. For cruise ships, just under 70% supported proof of vaccination for passengers. For flights, nearly 68%.

Just over 67% said universities should require vaccinations for students. Another 61% supported vaccine mandates for those attending large sports and entertainment events. And 65% said businesses generally should require their employees to get the jab.

Texans too:

Most Texans support measures requiring all eligible people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a recent survey.

More than 65 percent of Texans said they would support vaccine mandates issued by federal, state or local governments; the national average was 64 percent. More than 70 percent of Texans would support vaccine requirements to board an airplane; more than 62 percent would support vaccine mandates for children returning to schools; and 67 percent would support them for students returning to universities.

And yet Texas governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order yesterday saying that "no entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer."

DeSantis and Abbott don't care. They know that even Republican voters who oppose them on this will vote for them anyway in 2022, because Fox News and Newsmax and OANN tell them every day that voting for any Democrat means voting for all the evil in the world -- Soros and Antifa and Critical Race Theory and the War on Christmas and communism and shootings in Chicago and Superman kissing a guy. When you've got that kind of well-rooted fearmongering going for you, you don't need popularism. You can do whatever the hell you want, or at least whatever pleases the most rabid base voters and inspires them to send money to your campaign fund. Caring what the public thinks is only important for one party.