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Top Three Takeaways – September 27th, 2021
- Land of (Booster) confusion. Do you know who’s actually eligible for COVID-19 vaccination boosters? You’re not alone. Between Biden’s unscientific declaration of boosters for all, which was to be effective last Monday but wasn’t, to the FDA review panel’s recommendation, to the FDA’s decision based on the review panel, to the CDC’s review panel recommendation to the CDC’s director’s decision to not adhere to the recommendations of the review panel...there’s a heck of a lot to be confused by. The easy part is that the only vaccine authorized for a booster is the Pfizer vaccine. As for the details as to who will now be eligible... Those who were vaccinated six months or longer ago who are... 65 or older, 50-64 with an at-risk medical condition, those 18-49 with compromised immune systems, those 18-64 who work in high-risk professions (everybody from retail employees to frontline medical workers). If I asked you to repeat that back to me you probably couldn’t. That’s because we live in a land of booster confusion – which is what tends to happen when the president’s political interests mostly win out as opposed to science. Basically, it’s like this. If it’s been over six months since you had a COVID-19 vaccination and you’re over 18 – you'll likely be able to get one.
- Day of consequence in Congress. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is banking on this week being a legislative Royal Flush, with three huge pieces of legislation clearing the House – The $3.5 trillion dollar George Constanza backed Human Fund, the bi-partisan infrastructure deal which already passed in the Senate and the raising of the debt ceiling – her odds of getting all three through Congress are about as long as holding a Royal Flush. The Battle of Little Big Horn was known as Custer’s last stand. The battle which was expected to be an epic showdown in the Sioux Wars was over in under an hour with Custer and every one of his regiment’s 210 men wiped out. There were no survivors. The number in Custer’s regimen is auspiciously close to how many votes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has for the Human Fund through the reconciliation process today. Just as 210 wasn’t enough in 1876 – it's not enough in the House of Representatives today. Speaker Pelosi previously promised ten key moderate House Democrats they’d get a standalone vote on the bi-partisan Senate infrastructure package no later than today if a reconciliation deal hadn’t been struck in Congress. Which as of now it has not. Today has the potential to effectively be Nancy’s last stand. If she plays hardball and goes back on her word to her own caucus in Congress, she’ll retain no credibility with anyone. Not the Squad on her hard left, not the moderates on her right or the majority that’s in line with her politically. That could mean none of the agenda happens effectively ending Pelosi’s relevance. Conversely, if she’s true to her word and holds the vote for the bi-partisan piece, not only would that become law – she'd save face and credibility with all but the hardest left elements of her party. Will today be Pelosi’s last stand or will her relevance and political power in Washington live to fight another day? Already she’s attempting to push the timeline for the bipartisan bill until Thursday. Meanwhile...
- Florida’s full of good news to start the week. Hurricane Sam’s a non-factor for us meaning we’ll end the most active month of hurricane season unscathed once again. And while the summer surge in COVID-19 cases was in its own way as destructive as a cat 5 storm at its peak – that too is gone even quicker than the humidity with the cool front which rolled in this weekend. We’re starting with week averaging just 7,600 daily cases – a 65% decline from where we were just a month ago. Ditto hospitalizations which are 60% lower than peak levels – including a greater than 20% decline in just the past week. So, no hurricanes, cooler beautiful weather and less COVID flying around. That’s a lot of good news for us to start our week.