Cliff’s Take: Advancing A Post-COVID Agenda

We are all feeling the high that comes with being so close to the end of a year-long pandemic.  To date, more than 100 million Americans have received at least one vaccine shot.

However, there still is a lot of uncertainty in our COVID world.  Many are worried about a fourth spike in COVID cases here in the US. Most of the world is in a much uglier state.

With vaccines, COVID will eventually fade from view. But what happens after it goes away?

I am beginning to imagine a post-COVID world.  Visiting parents in Chicago, relatives in Brazil.  I have even been thinking about what will become of masks. What will happen to all those masks?  Will some people keep wearing them? 

And what about Biden? Remember, he was elected to tackle the coronavirus and so far, he is delivering. His strong approval ratings reflect his administration’s progress to date, but what happens when the virus recedes in importance and other, more divisive, problems rise to the fore? How effectively will Biden be able to move forward on his agenda then? 

We might not have to wonder long. Biden’s future success likely hinges on injecting four trillion dollars into the economy via the American Rescue Plan and American Jobs Plan.

Below, I detail some of the polling data offering us a glimpse of what may be around the corner.

1. Biden’s honeymoon. How long will this last? From the Ford presidency up to Obama, the average presidential honeymoon lasted about 7 months. Can Biden count on his to last long enough to propel his agenda? I think so.  But we will see. 

    

2. Biden’s future? Biden’s bailiwick is his success against the coronavirus—that much is clear. However, other issues are cropping up, giving off warning signs. Look at the data!  Think of a world without the virus.  Will such a place sink Biden’s numbers?  Without an economy firing on all cylinders, things will get rough for the administration.   
3. Biden’s economic response. A robust economy is critical for our post-COVID world. Biden knows this.  Looks like Rescue Plan, yes; Jobs Plan, maybe. The important takeaway here is that both signify a serious response to the economic chaos wrought by the pandemic.  Will they have an effect?  Only time—and the jobs reports—will tell. 

    

4. Devil in the details. Let’s peel away the onion on the American Jobs Plan and talk details. There is strong support across all measures, although more so for infrastructure and less so for taxes—few surprises there. Will we see an economic boom in 2022?  If Biden can get this passed, maybe! 

    

5. Opening day. Slightly off topic, but yesterday was the MLB Opening Day. Anyone else following it? Will Americans accept the idea of a vaccine passport to watch a game?   The answer is mostly yes.  On this front, it looks like baseball will unite us more than divide us. 

    

A post-COVID world without a significant economic impulse would be dreary. The Rescue and Jobs Plans are an answer to this. Will they work? My guess is yes; Biden's as well.

For more information, please contact:

Clifford Young
President, U.S.
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2016
[email protected]

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