Campaign 2012 and Social Media: The HPV Debate Lingers On and On

The CNN Tea Party debate seems to be lingering… on and on and on.

The rhetoric of the HPV vaccine seems to be what everyone is talking about from the CNN Tea Party debate held on September 12. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s criticized Governor Rick Perry’s 2007 executive order that would have required 11-and 12- year-old girls to get the HPV vaccine (Human Papillomavirus Vaccine) The vaccine prevents a sexually transmitted disease from causing cervical cancer.  Bachmann erroneously called the vaccine a “potentially dangerous drug.”  Unfortunately, she did not learn about the FDA’s seal of approval of the HPV vaccine or read about the documented side effects. She also failed to mention that Governor Perry’s executive order included an opt-out for parents. Parents initially had a choice like they do with every other vaccination given to a minor.

Here is a clause in Gov. Rick Perry’s executive order:

Parents’ Rights.The Department of State Health Services will, in order to protect the right of parents to be the final authority on their children’s health care, modify the current process in order to allow parents to submit a request for a conscientious objection affidavit form via the Internet while maintaining privacy safeguards under current law.

What Bachmann thought would be a blow for Perry in the campaign ended up making Bachmann look like a fear monger. After the debate, during a Today Show appearance, she took the argument further claiming the vaccine caused mental retardation. According to Factcheck.org:

No scientific evidence backs Rep. Michele Bachmann’s second-hand story of HPV vaccine causing mental retardation. Our research reveals that 35 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, without a single reported case of mental retardation. A total of four cases of a disorder involving inflammation of the brain have been reported, but a panel of scientists found there was insufficient evidence to establish that the vaccine caused those.

These allegations are harsh. Bachmann repeatedly told reporters that the HPV vaccine was linked to mental retardation in young girls who received an injection. According to Factcheck.org, 35 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed and so far no reports of mental retardation. The only side effect that has been linked to the HPV vaccine according to the Institute of Medicine is a severe allergic reaction that could cause cramping. You can read the IOM’s report about the HPV vaccine and other vaccine’s here.

Again, the American citizen can now read medical research online to help make informed decisions apart from our policy makers. The American citizen can decide individually if he or she wants the vaccine for their child just like they can for any other vaccination.

Thanks to the Internet and social media, Bachmann’s HPV rhetoric lingers.

Unfortunately, nowhere in her online rhetoric does she address the fact that this was a safe drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Her rhetoric ignores any criticism for her erroneous comments. Bachmann does stand by her comments that Governor Perry abused his Executive Power. She fails to point out that Perry eventually backed down from the mandate and admits his mistake–Perry repeatedly said this in the debate. I wish more politicians would admit their mistakes and fix them rather than blame others or ignore public opinion. This is why I believe Obama’s healthcare plan is a bust. The healthcare plan was pushed through too quickly instead of in stages to see what would work and what would not work. Slow and steady wins in many cases. 

Let’s not forget the videos we can access 24/7 that show how Bachmann’s comments created fear mongering and added no rhetorical substance to the debate. If Bachmann was ill informed–what would she do as PRESIDENT. In fact, she abused the artistic proof PATHOS(emotion) and created a logical fallacy. Too much emotion towards a subject can damage one’s ETHOS (credibility). A candidate needs to balance ethos, pathos and logos.

Bachmann’s biggest mistake was to stray from the original argument, which was the abuse of power to create an executive order for a vaccination. Instead, she played the mom card too far and then took an unknown woman’s story, with NO PROOF,  that the HPV vaccination actually caused her daughter’s mental retardation. I’m happy that Bachmann is a mother who wants what is best for her children, however,  I am not happy that she created fear about a vaccination that could ultimately wipe out cervical cancer. Bachmann needs to balance her rhetorical tone and use more proof in her mother rhetoric. The overuse of pathos is then perceived as a gender issue that Bachmann is struggling to overcome.

Here’s a video of Anderson Cooper who speaks to an ethicist who wants Bachmann to show evidence of this woman who approached her and provided Bachmann with the mental retardation anecdote:

Click here to watch the video if your device does not allow for flash

As the ethicist says, Bachmann left out information that there was always an opt out option in Perry’s mandate and no one was MAKING parents line up with their daughters to get the vaccine.

I could post several more news articles, news video and tweets about Bachmann’s HPV misconceptions to show how political candidates’ soundbites can be debated and discussed in social media days after a debate appeared on television. The American citizen now has the tools to expand the discussion beyond a televised debate. Soundbites now linger in the virtual world, but it is up to the political candidate to expand that lingering soundbite. Michele Bachmann chooses to ignore it.

Michele Bachmann has yet to create a strong social media presence. Bachmann does not have a truth team behind her. Governor Rick Perry, just like President Obama did in 2008, has a truth team tweeting during debates.  For example: when Bachmann leaves out crucial information about Perry’s HPV vaccine executive order, Perry’s truth team can now tweet the original executive order that says every parent has the right to opt out. Perry’s team uses social media DURING the debate to his advantage. Bachmann needs to take advantage of all her available rhetorical means as Perry’s campaign does.

Overall, social media makes a candidate’s rhetoric hard to ignore when it is erroneous:  Bad for the candidate– Good for the American citizen to make an informed decision.