In response to an imminent Trump re-election, Democrats are now scrambling to distance themselves from the lockdown policies they previously enthusiastically supported.
According to a new Politico report, Democrats are hesitant to shut things down again in the wake of Omicron.
“From New York to California, Democratic mayors and governors are fighting to keep schools and businesses open with an urgency they haven’t flexed before in the pandemic,” the report states.
Summit.news reports: That sea change likely has a lot to do with Republicans securing a November clean sweep of the House, as well as the offices of governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in Virginia.
Republican Glenn Youngkin appealed to parents who were angry over school closures and other issues such as mask mandates, while New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy came closer to defeat than expected over frustrations relating to COVID restrictions.
Big events such as the Super Bowl in L.A. will now go ahead, while the likes of Fauci and Biden refrained from telling Americans to cancel holiday plans despite record case numbers caused by Omicron.
“Democrats went further than most Republicans in shutting down businesses, enforcing social distancing and requiring masks to tame the spread of the virus — and were initially rewarded politically for their caution,” states the report.
“But as the nation trudges into a third pandemic year in the grips of another variant-fueled wave, blue state leaders faced with exhausted and frustrated voters have lost the stomach for strict shutdowns.”
According to Bob Blendon, a polling and political strategy expert at the Harvard T.H. Chan School, Democrats “see an upcoming election, they see backlashes.”
“They can’t close things down, and there is no public tolerance for serious disruptions in people’s lives. People have run out of patience,” said Blendon.
Polling has also been dreadful for Democrats, with Biden’s approval rating sinking to a new low as just 15.5% of Americans say they trust the president when it comes to information about COVID-19.
“Everything our government tried to contain this virus has failed and now, thanks to Omicron, everyone is getting infected with a “live covid vaccine” that’s relatively mild and actually works,” comments Chris Menahan.
“With the combination of Omicron infecting millions and Democrats getting wiped out politically there’s a decent chance we may actually be able to move on from this hysteria and get on with life.”
