All of the sudden COVID ’science’ has, apparently changed. mask edicts and other rules are changing. Hmmm, science or November Democratic bloodbath?
Pivot Underway
Biden’s Bind
Josh Kraushaar headline: “Biden is blowing his COVID moment”
“When it comes to the pandemic, President Biden is leading from behind. His administration’s inability to appreciate the widespread political frustrations over indefinite COVID regulations—mask mandates for children in school, in particular—is costing the president any potential goodwill he would otherwise receive in the wake of the Omicron variant’s rapid retreat.”
“The political challenge for the Biden administration is that the one political faction still calling for continued regulations—progressive Democrats—makes up a sizable chunk of its base.”
“The hostility among liberal jurisdictions against Youngkin’s decision to allow parents to choose whether their kids wear masks in schools is a telltale example of tribal instincts overtaking the science. When Youngkin took the lead, it generated mass Democratic outrage. Several weeks later, liberal governors are making similar moves, without any comparable pushback from school districts (though they’re still deferring to the local jurisdictions on masking).”
“The rhetorical shift comes as national polling underscores growing American frustrations about the lagging return to normalcy, particularly as Omicron retreats.”
“For Democrats desperately looking for a way to run ahead of a struggling Biden in the midterms …What seems to be holding them back at this point in the pandemic, as has been the case with other issues throughout Biden’s first year in office, is the party’s activist class. Now would be a good time to cut bait.”
Does Polling Count As Science?
NYT: “After conducting focus groups, [NJ Gov.] ‘Mr. Murphy’s advisers were struck by the findings: Across the board, voters shared frustrations over public health measures, a sense of pessimism about the future and a deep desire to return to some sense of normalcy.'”
Ashe Short: “Literally nothing has changed, scientifically, since your camp was calling Glenn Youngkin a monster for lifting mask mandates just a few weeks ago. But I’m guessing some polling came in.”
Free Beacon: “WATCH: GOP’s Youngkin Was Villain for Lifting Mask Mandate. Dem Phil Murphy a Hero for Doing the Same.”
Mary Katharine Ham: “It’s been a big couple of days for ‘changing science.'”
David Harsanyi: “The science has a weird way of changing when the polling does.”
Justin Spiro: “Perhaps Democrats are finally realizing that their poll numbers are not as ‘resilient’ as the kids they’ve been neglecting for 2 years.”
Revisionism Ahead
Nathan Brand: “Rather than following the science, Democrats played politics with livelihoods, children, and small businesses. These Democrat elites don’t care about the irreversible harm they’ve done.”
Richard Grenell: “Always remember, Democrats masked your children in schools for years. They will soon pretend they didn’t.”
Harsanyi: “By next week, Jen Psaki will be telling us that Biden and the teachers unions spearheaded the national movement ending mask mandates.”