I've been musing on the idea that maybe the mandates aren't really about Covid, or even Big Pharma. It's about 1) punishment and 2) fear mongering.
Taking
@Gehenna's premise that CNN is also their political advisor, the Biden admin believes that only Trump supporters are refusing the jab. Ergo, they must be punished. The only way they can do that is threaten their livelihood. The absolute lack of acknowledgement of the other groups who aren't taking the jab and how these mandates are unenforceable is so obvious. They're even destroying their legacy of being tough on Covid by trying to force the "idiot rednecks" to take the vaccine. It's nonsensical, and what someone who is really, really,
really mad and scared would do.
2) Covid isn't the only thing they fear monger on. Their entire platform is fear based. Look at Cher's tweet--you'd think anyone who didn't vote dem was a bigger monster than Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot put together. I think she really believes that. The propaganda maybe has worked too well in one direction and failed in the other.
Of course Big Pharma, the health system, and politicians are benefitting from all of this. I'm just wondering if that's more of a side effect than the motivation.