In recent weeks, mask mandates across the country have been dropped as covid case rates and hospitalizations have fallen with the waning of the omicron wave....I'll go out on a limb and predict that Republicans won't attack Democrats in this hypocritical way.
Yet there are signs a new wave could be on its way, now that one is already hitting Europe. Should that happen, Democrats ought to know that they’ll get the blame.
Right now, Democrats don’t appear all that tuned in to this possibility. They seem to think agreeing to relax covid-19 measures everywhere, as Republicans have demanded, has put them on the right side of an issue where they were losing the public.
Even if that’s true (and it’s debatable), if covid comes back, Republicans will spin right around and blame them for it, without being constrained in the slightest by the absurdity of the turnaround.
Do I believe that Republicans will refrain from attacking Democrats? Of course not -- Republicans attack Democrats every minute of every day. Do I think Republicans want to avoid looking like hypocrites? No, that's never bothered them before.
But I think their voters are completely invested in the notion that the pandemic is fake, or at least overhyped, and that -- as in the case of mass shootings -- no amount of death and suffering justifies any restrictions on OUR FREEDOMS!!!! Attacking Democrats for rising COVID cases comes dangerously close to suggesting that the virus is a bad thing that requires collective action. On the right, that's heresy.
If you want a sense of what Republicans will do, look at this tweet:
Dr. Fauci says that if there's another surge, we should respond with a "degree of mitigation that is commensurate with what the situation is." That seems like simple common sense, and would probably be regarded as such in a civilized country. But the Republican National Committee posts this as a warning, with a caption that reads, "Fauci: If we see more cases, expect more restrictions!" The worst possible response!
Trumper Katrina Pierson responds to the video with a clown emoji.
— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) March 17, 2022
That's how Republicans will respond to a surge. Even if -- as I assume -- mitigation measures have now become so politically toxic that the federal government and most localities dare not implement them, the fact that Fauci or anyone else might propose that we should possibly do anything whatsoever about the surge will be described as if the Democrat Party is the second coming of Hitler. And if any state or locality actually does reimpose a mask or vaccine requirement for stores, restaurants, or public events, the yellow stars will come back with a vengeance, as will death threats, armed protests, and even stricter laws against public health measures from GOP governors and legislatures. There'll probably be serious, well-financed truck blockades this time.
Republicans love to attack Democrats -- but I think they'll attack while sticking with their preferred narrative.
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