This could become a huge problem.

[Are_grits_groceries]

President Obama's decision to declare the H1N1 flu a national emergency over the weekend is a recognition of the political peril the virus could inflict on the White House.

The declaration came after 72 hours of stories -- both locally and nationally -- focused on the long lines for the swine flu vaccine and the mounting fear surrounding the illness.

And, it came just days after a Washington Post/ABC national poll showed that a majority (52 percent) of Americans were worried that they or someone in their family would contract H1N1 -- up from 39 percent who said the same in a mid-August survey.
<snip>
The good news for President Obama is that the American public has a high level of confidence that the government can deal with the outbreak; in the Post/ABC survey, 69 percent of the sample expressed confidence in the federal government to respond "effectively" to the H1N1 flu.

While that's a solid starting point, all politicians -- and those, like the Fix, who watch politics for a living -- know that fear is among the most powerful motivators for voters.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/morning-fix-the-political-dang.html?hpid=news-col-blog

I am not a fan of Chris C. However, I have been warily watching the morphing of the H1N1 story. The long lines aren't a good sign. People have been scared into wanting to be inoculated or planned to anyway, and there is a vaccine shortage. People were assured that the vaccine would be available.

If enough horror stories make it into the MSM and people's fears are stoked, it will be a major problem. I know there are reasons, but people don't want to hear them. They won't accept them.

Everyone was urged by the government to get the vaccination, and now there is a shortage. Not good!

[geckosfeet]

1. I'll just stay home for six months.

[barbtries]

2. fuck fear

i just don't have the energy for it anymore. the vast majority of us will survive h1n1. i would imagine that it is far more likely that we will die in a car accident. i drive every day without fear.

after 8 years of bush i am so burnt out on fear that i would refuse it regardless of how real the threat. i doubt i am the only one.

fuck fear.

[Are_grits_groceries]

4. I am not going to run around like Chicken Little.

However, the citizenry may be a different breed of cat. Fear is one of the most powerful motivators around.

[Hubert Flottz]

13. I hope you didn't throw away your Duct Tape!

We might need to shelter in place until next year!

Things are getting crazy around here. Last week a lady got busted for stealing a vial of flu vaccine while she was in line getting her kid's their shots.

[FirstLight]

14. +100 !

Ya, i am burnt out on it all too... in fact, i am about to just say 'fuckit, call me AFTER civilization is done collapsing...'

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. the same people could die on the road on the way to flu shot

[Are_grits_groceries]

5. I am not trying to argue with any of you

who bring up valid and rational reasons not to be afraid.

I am talking about the public at large who may not listen to those points. When people are afraid, that can trump everything.

[barbtries]

15. i'm not trying to argue either

though i may have sounded that way, i was just expressing my reaction. but consider this: there is a substantial minority of citizens who live in constant fear. NOTHING that President Obama does or does not do will allay their fears. i think they fear not having something to hate on every day of their lives. they're terrified of change, which is what this president symbolizes. hell they're terrified of their own shadows. they're just pathetic, ignorant, full of hate, loud, disproportionately represented in the MSM, and encouraged by the hatemongers like rush, beck, etc.

as for the flu situation, hopefully the rational majority is staying educated, staying in touch with their doctor, checking out the CDC page, staying home when sick, going to the doctor if warranted, etc. my opinion about the flu is that it is real, it is here, it is pandemic. many, many people will suffer through it and get over it. some people will end up in the hospital, some will die from it. and these outcomes will happen regardless of the fear level. fear won't make us well, and it won't make us sick (except emotionally and mentally).

[Buzz Clik]

6. There are those here at DU who are watching this carefully...

... to figure out a way to construe H1N1 as yet another broken promise from Obama.

I can't wait. :eyes:

[Are_grits_groceries]

7. I don't construe this as a broken promise.

I think there were problems in manufacturing at the beginning. However, many people might construe it as a broken promise.

[woodsprite]

8. In some areas, they brought it on themselves

Delaware is having a problem getting their supply, like other states. Two weeks ago, Delaware sent home a permission slip home with all school kids for a free vaccination (the spray for k-8 and shots from 9th-12th). Now parents are wondering when/if their kids will have the vaccine administered before it hits their classrooms, and it's making the parents angry. I'm sure that's happening elsewhere too.

[Bluenorthwest]

9. Around here, it has been full tilt fear

and the panic shouters, no matter how well intended, make for huge problems when there is no vaccine to be had for most of us thus far. I question the wisdom of drumming the message 'get it or you will die, and you will kill my kids too' when there is no jab available. I question the wisdom of those who can not see that some people if unable to get a thing they feel they need, will feel better by saying 'I do not need it' until they are actually able to obtain it.
I question the wisdom of beating up on people for not getting a vaccine they could not get it they chained themselves to the doctor's door.

[woodsprite]

11. The text of the message the kids brought home was written

in very simple language. Most was OK and just informative. I objected to the paragraph that stated something to the tune of "H1N1 is highly contagious and can turn into a very severe form of pneumonia in patients, mainly children. Many people will get H1N1 this year. Some will die. Please return your form by Friday, October 23rd for your child to be vaccinated for free."

My son read it and the first thing out of his 9yo mouth was "Are you going to get me vaccinated Mom?"

I figured it was worded as such as another pressure point to get the kids to coerce Mom/Dad into signing up for the vaccine.

[joeycola]

10. One of the networks aired the long lines last evening and comments

from people. they are scared.

[joeycola]

12. nyt: A Nation Battling Swine Flu, and Short Vaccine Supplies

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/health/26flu.html?hp


A Nation Battling Swine Flu, and Short Vaccine Supplies
CSL Ltd., via Bloomberg News

A scientist at the Australian company, CSL Ltd., inspecting eggs used for the development of the swine flu vaccine.


By ANDREW POLLACK and DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Published: October 25, 2009

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci was talking with fellow federal officials in September, a month before swine flu vaccinations were to begin, when it became clear they had a bigger problem than they feared with supplies.
Skip to next paragraph
Related
H1N1 Widespread in 46 States as Vaccines Lag (October 25, 2009)
Times Topics: Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus)

“As we got closer and closer, they said, ‘Oh, my God, we’re not going to make it,’ ” Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview.

Earlier this month, the government was forced to announce that only about 28 million doses would be available by the end of this month, about 30 percent below the 40 million it had previously predicted. That is not enough to satisfy panicky people who are lining up for vaccine around the country or desperately phoning their doctors and public health departments.

But the October shortfall was not the first. Indeed, since the outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu occurred in April, federal projections have been consistently and wildly overoptimistic and have had to be ratcheted down several times. As recently as late July, the government was predicting having 160 million doses by this month.