Strength bears benefits.

There’s been a strong response against the concept of vaccine passports after the Biden folks tried to float the idea last week and see how it played.

Both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have come out strongly against the government being involved in any such thing and DeSantis also condemned any move by the private sector to lock out part of society or to try to control movement in that way.

Even the World Health Organization is against it, because of concerns about inequity and some people being locked out of society.

All that opposition appears to have forced the federal government’s hand, at least on the surface officially. Jen Psaki clarified today they would not be officially trying to mandate a government-controlled vaccine passport.

NEW: Press sec. Psaki rules out a possible vaccine passport: "There will be no federal vaccinations' database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential." https://t.co/IPb1MCEz1J pic.twitter.com/AemGpOOnlr

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 6, 2021

From Fox 11 Los Angeles:

“Let me be very clear on this, I know there’s been lots of questions. The government is not now, nor will we be, supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential. There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential,” she said.

That sounds good, right?

Except this is more about covering their own backsides from any backlash and letting the private sector take the lead on it, in essence, forcing compliance because ‘everyone is doing it’ rather than by government mandate. They’ll just provide “guidance” to the private sector, Psaki said. Oh. Translation: we’ll still be pushing for it.

Hopefully the states’ push against it will slow the private sector because it’s not going to go over well in those states and it would adversely affect a company’s ability to apply things across the board. That’s why every red state has to get on board with Abbott, DeSantis, Brian Kemp of Georgia and Tate Reeves of Mississippi, who have all come out against it. Those state leaders should also be discouraging it very clearly in the private sector to prevent it from becoming an effective mandate.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee is also on board against it.

I am supporting legislation to prohibit any government-mandated vaccine passports to protect the privacy of Tennesseans' health information and ensure this vaccine remains a voluntary, personal decision.

— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) April 6, 2021