Right-wing media coming around on the vaccine?

Right-wing media/pundits are beginning to change their tune.

Maybe it’s because now it’s primarily the unvaccinated who are dying from COVID. Maybe it’s because it finally hit them that the more they tell people not to get vaccinated, the more of their own voters and supporters are getting sick and dying (Okay, that’s a bit gratuitous. But it’s also true.) Maybe it’s because some developed a conscience (unlikely as that seems) and decided making this just another of their us-versus-them issues is a deadly mistake.

I don’t know which, or if any of that is true. But the tracking I do of the right-wing media (which is getting one round-up email a morning of what they’re saying) shows a distinct change in tune. For example, yesterday’s email from The Righting showed that Newsmax, a crazy right-wing niche outlet led by Trump good buddy Chris Ruddy, quoted Ruddy as saying:

“I like what Biden has done with the vaccine. At Newsmax, we have strongly advocated for the public to be vaccinated. The many medical experts that have appeared on our network have been near unanimous in support of the vaccine. I myself have gotten the Pfizer vaccine. There’s no question countless lives would have been saved if the vaccine was available earlier.”

Sean Hannity, Fox News’ former top right-wing idol (a title he’s lost to colleague Tucker Carlson), the other night on his show said: “It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science. I believe…