CNN Platforms Pig-Ignorant Winger To Spread Anti-Vax Disinfo

PERNELL: So, in Florida, approximately 88 percent of kindergartners have their full and complete vaccination. That is already below the recommended amount if you’re going to achieve herd immunity. If you take away the vaccine mandates, you’re going to see that number plummet. When that number plummets, not only are households going to be infected and potentially get sick, but the most vulnerable people in those households, and those are children. Without mandates, we are not going to adequately protect our children. And we’ve already seen —

FERGUSON: If you bully the American public —

PERNELL: No, let me finish. That’s not bullying. We’ve already seen evidence is when we don’t protect children, children are left susceptible to irrational decisions of adults. We have children in the United States dead from measles. That should not happen in 2025. It should not.

PHILLIP: Seriously, how do you, with a straight face, can anyone justify, even if you don’t like the COVID vaccine, saying that because you don’t like the COVID vaccine, you should open up the Pandora’s Box of diseases that we have put on the backburner of public life? So, why would that, why would one thing even remotely justify the other?

FERGUSON: When you have the CDC that does not have the trust of the American people, and, clearly, in Florida they do not trust the CDC with their children —

PHILLIP: This has nothing to do with the CDC. This has to Florida public health —

FERGUSON: You can lecture the American people all you want to, but I’m trying to explain to you why parents are saying, I don’t trust —

PHILLIP: I know that you are trying to justify it, but I’m —

FERGUSON: It’s not justifying. It is explaining why —

PHILLIP: This is actually not about —

FERGUSON: And, by the way, if you don’t like the sport, you can move.

PHILLIP: This is not about the parents at this point.

FERGUSON: Sure it is.

PHILLIP: This is about the policy.

(CROSSTALKS)

PHILLIP: Ben, this is about the policymakers. This is about the governor. It’s about the surgeon general.

FERGUSON: So, why are they so popular?

PHILLIP: Why are they willing to sacrifice the health of millions of children because they don’t like the COVID-19 vaccine?

FERGUSON: You guys won’t even admit that we got it wrong with COVID at this table.

JENNINGS: Are you so sure that the parents still don’t get their children vaccinated?

(CROSSTALKS)

PHILLIP: Hold on a second.

JENNINGS: I think you’re raising an interesting question about the numbers. You said millions of children. Are you so sure that parents won’t get their children vaccinated without a —

FERGUSON: They want the choice.

JENNINGS: I mean, the mandate — I mean, they can still get them vaccinated.

PHILLIP: She already addressed that.

PERNELL: Yes, not enough.

(CROSSTALKS)

FERGUSON: But if you want to blame somebody for this, blame the CDC for losing the trust of the American people.

PERNELL: Okay. You’re wrong again, okay?

FERGUSON: No, I’m not. We’re having this conversation because the American people don’t trust the CDC.

PERNELL: Let’s talk political actors who started to spew intentionally misinformation and disinformation, which has led to confusion, has led to chaos and has led to an unnecessary loss of life. Do you know why we were able to save the lives that we did? Because public health physicians, CDC —

FERGUSON: Be angry with the scientists that lied to the American people.

PERNELL: That’s what’s dangerous, be angry with the scientists. Yes, why?

FERGUSON: We’re having a conversation.

TURNER: What I’m saying is that if we just kind of think through this, I mean, I think we all pretty much agreed that the vaccines —

FERGUSON: This conversation would never be happening —

TURNER: But I’m saying —

FERGUSON: — if it wasn’t for the lies of COVID-19.

TURNER: Okay. But there’s a way to talk people through the differences of what happened during the COVID pandemic and the global impact. Well, we got our —

FERGUSON: I’ll be honest with you. Arrogance, is not going to get parents to come to your side.

PERNELL: It’s not about the arrogance. You are yelling about —

PHILLIP: We have to end the conversation here, but you do sound a little bit like a broken record on this one.

PERNELL: Yes.

FERGUSON: It’s because it’s that simple, it’s the same thing over and over again. You lose the trust of people on any issue, they will not listen to you.

PHILLIP: You’re diagnosing the problem, but you’re not offering a solution. The solution —

FERGUSON: Don’t lie to parents.

PHILLIP: The solution to this is not take away the vaccine mandates. The solution is to reassure parents about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, which are really not in question. But rather than doing that, policymakers are not doing that. And I think that is — nobody is disputing that. They are not doing that and you know the facts around it.

FERGUSON: I can agree with you. And here’s what I would say. If doctors are this upset about it, then actually speak —

PERNELL: We are. A lot of people are.

FERGUSON: — without condemning parents implying that they’re going to kill their child or that they’re ignorant —

(CROSSTALKS)

JENNINGS: Did the surgeon general cast aspersions on the safety of the vaccines today?

PERNELL: He has.

JENNINGS: But, I mean, today, because what I read was that the mandate will go away, but the vaccines were fully available.

PHILLIP: Just to be clear, he has repeatedly passed out on the safety of vaccines, not just today, but for a long time.

JENNINGS: But they didn’t outlaw any vaccines, right?

PHILLIP: He doesn’t have the power to outlaw anything. But he said that the intention is to remove all the mandates.

PERNELL: You already just have to have a seat (ph).

PHILLIP: We’ve got to leave it there. Dr. Chris Pernell, we appreciate you very much for joining us.