We think that Today News Africa chief White House correspondent Simon Ateba asked a fundamentally profound question of Jen Psaki today in the newsroom during the briefing. It doesn’t require a lot of analysis and that’s the point. Ateba’s question was so blunt and direct that it near shakes us up. The answer is almost certainly partly “yes,” though Jen was smart enough to not make “Yes” part of the Biden administration’s answer.

Ateba asked:

“Not to shame any vaccine skeptic. In Africa, people are looking for the vaccine but can’t find them. In the U.S., there’s an abundance of vaccine but up to 80 million people have refused to receive them and 1,500 people are dying every day. Will you say that too much privilege is sending so many American[s] to their early grave.”

Psaki responded, “I’m not sure what your question is.”

“Is too much privilege sending many people to their early grave.”

That has to be a part of it, the presumption that the great medical care while thinking “may the odds be ever in their favor.” (Hunger Games reference may be inappropriate, but we’re exasperated) It does seem to be mixed in with some arrogance. But part of it is also purely to make a political point and “trigger” the libs. Look at the elderly. There are plenty of very conservative elderly, but we only heard that they dug in and tried to get vaxxed as soon as possible.

PSAKI answered:

“Well, I would say, first, that the United States wants to be an arsenal vaccine distribution to the global community and we have provided, donated more than every other country in the world combined.”

“We also know, and it is the responsibility of the president, to protect and save lives in the United States as well. That’s why we announced the steps that we announced yesterday.”

Ateba didn’t buy the generalized answer and again directly asked:

“I was asking is too much privilege killing people in the U.S. There’s so much vaccine available, but people are refusing to take them. In Africa, people don’t have access to vaccine and they want to have them. Are we too privileged here to say that we are ready to die instead of taking the vaccine?”

Psaki likely desperately wanted to say yes, but knew that she couldn’t speak to that question on behalf of the United States government:

“Well, I think that’s a hard question. I don’t know that I have a comment on that from the U.S. government. I would say that our objective here is to convey to people, whenever we can avoid it, that vaccines will save your life. That everybody should go get one and they’ll save your neighbors, your friends, your grandparents. And that’s our objective.”

She must have been yearning but just too smart and disciplined. MAGAs are mad enough without the White House calling them out as too privileged. The question, coming from someone from a poor continent that cannot afford to make “political statements” is just too perfect. The neutral disbelief is just that much more credible. Our country looks horrible.

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