Dan Abrams Calls Out Governors (and Chuck Woolery) for Only Taking Covid Seriously When ‘It Affects Them Personally’

Mediaite founder Dan Abrams called out several Republican governors and game show host Chuck Woolery for downplaying Covid-19 until they were personally affected by it, he said during his Sirius XM show Friday afternoon.

On July 13, Woolery tweeted that everyone, including the CDC, is lying about Covid-19. Then, he went viral after President Donald Trump retweeted two of them. A week later, he walked back on his remarks after his son tested positive for the virus and deleted his Twitter account.

“I feel bad for Chuck Woolery,” Abrams said. “He’s obviously suffering based on what is happening in his family. What gets me is why does it need to be personal for people to appreciate the significance of the coronavirus? Why does it need to be personal for people to realize the danger? Why does it need to be personal for people to take basic precautions to protect others? Why does it need to happen to his son for him to take this seriously?”

Abrams then honed in on Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH), and Gov. Doug Ducey (R-AZ) for waiting until their states were ravished by the virus before changing their rhetoric and polices around the pandemic. At one point, Abrams asked, “Why does it have to take suffering and death to lead people to say ‘this matters?'”

“When the obvious reality hits — that this thing is really serious and really contagious and it hits their state — then they change their tune,” Abrams said. “It’s not that complicated and it isn’t so much to ask.”

Abrams did give credit to some of the governors who eventually did order mask mandates and take the virus seriously, but noted that the “guidance on masks didn’t change from April to July.”

“I think we have to appreciate at least these governors have come around, they’re not doubling down anymore,” Abrams said. “They’re realizing, ‘Boy this thing has hit my state hard.’ But this could have been prevented. The whole point is if there had been more respect for the experts and less politicization, we wouldn’t be here.”

“We have to be able to admit our mistakes,” Abrams continued. “It’s one of the president’s greatest flaws. He’ll never admit a mistake … The point I’m making is I think that it is so sad that it has to hit them in the head personally for them to want to act, or be willing to act.”

Listen above, via Sirius XM Radio.