Virginia’s gubernatorial candidate and former governor Terry McAuliffe strongly believes that getting the COVID-19 vaccines should not be a personal choice. He’s expressed some dark intentions on getting his state vaccinated, one way or another…
McAuliffe vowed to ‘make life difficult’ for the unvaccinated’ and is using his platform to push businesses to demand a mandate. If re-elected, his reach likely won’t stop there. McAuliffe’s recent comments came after the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for eligible individuals age 16 and older. The Food and Drug Administration’s approval opens pathways for politicians to push for a government mandate.
In a tweet shared on Monday, McAuliffe said, “I’m calling on EVERY Virginia employer to require all eligible employees to be vaccinated.” This follows suit with the former governor’s requirement for his campaign staff to be vaccinated and his support for school districts to require teachers to be vaccinated before returning to school this fall.
BREAKING: Following the full FDA approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine this morning, I’m calling on EVERY Virginia employer to require all eligible employees to be vaccinated. We need every eligible Virginian to get vaccinated to beat this virus. Together, we'll get it done.
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) August 23, 2021
“We have 93 million Americans today that are not vaccinated. And we need to do everything that we possibly can. I tell my private businesses all the time ‘I hope you mandate vaccines for people coming in.’ ‘Til we make it hard for people to get on planes or go to movie theaters, people just aren’t going to do it. We’re not going door-to-door, but you make life difficult.”
“We can’t force them. We’re not going door to door, but you make life difficult,” he continued. “If you’re going to come to the HIMSS conference, you got to be vaccinated.”
McAuliffe is running against the current governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin. Youngkin had plenty to say about the Democrat’s agenda:
“Virginia is already struggling to recover from the pandemic due to failed Democratic leadership, and now Terry McAuliffe wants to ‘make life difficult’ for Virginians and businesses by issuing a government mandate that attempts to bully them into complying with what McAuliffe and the government thinks is best. And that will clearly evolve into closing down businesses and locking down Virginia again,” Youngkin said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
In a tweet, Youngkin wrote,”I have made the choice to get vaccinated and encourage everyone to join me in doing that, but ultimately, it is a personal decision to do so.”
Watch
Terry McAuliffe says he wants to "make life difficult" for Virginians who don't comply with his COVID vaccine mandate.
"Make it hard for people get on planes or go to movie theaters," he says. pic.twitter.com/jmsBermcUh
— Team Youngkin – Spirit of Virginia (@TeamYoungkin) August 23, 2021
Over the next few months, the FDA will be working to approve the Maderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Making them also available for a mandate.
