Dana Mathewson

I have argued previously that one reason the left can’t let go of mask mandates and other COVID-Zero demands is that they have been taught for 50 years now, chiefly by environmentalists, to blow up every conceivable risk in to a world-ending crisis, and demand that the government deliver a zero-risk response that is heedless of any adverse tradeoffs. This is why leftist politicians are caught between a public that is fed up with COVID mania and the vocal base of the Democratic Party that wants Mandates Forever and will be furious if President Biden, Gov. Newsom, Gov. Witmer, Gov. Wolf, etc., declare a full return to normal life.

There is some interesting survey evidence on this point from the New York Times. David Leonhardt reports about their latest opinion survey on the issue:

Republicans have long been split over vaccination, with many eagerly getting shots while many others refuse. Democrats have their own growing schism, between those who believe Covid precautions should continue to be paramount and those who favor moves toward normalcy.

The key dividing line appears to be ideology. Americans who identify as "very liberal” are much more worried about Covid than Americans who identify as "somewhat liberal” or "liberal.” Increasingly, the very liberal look like outliers on Covid: The merely liberal are sometimes closer to moderates than to the very liberal.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 09:18 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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