Cliff’s Take: Trust in Biden on COVID erodes
There is a nip in the air here in DC and a sense that it’s officially fall. So much so that I wore a jacket into work today.
Obviously, the natural rhythm of the world moves independently of whatever adversity we humans may be experiencing at the moment. Case in point – we’re entering yet another autumn with COVID rules still in effect.
Yet, we are adapting to COVID. The Delta variant has nudged us further along that path than our natural inclination towards inertia would have it. Mask and vaccine mandates are going into effect all around. Just a few months ago, this would have been unthinkable.
On politics, well, things are broken as ever. Gridlock and shutdown reign supreme. A divided nation; a tale of two Americas.
As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. This reality is Biden’s challenge.
Below I detail the most relevant data points of the week.
- Biden’s drop. Anyone else feeling a sense of déjà vu? Yet another poll, this time with ABC News, finds that approval of Biden’s handling of a slate of issues – from COVID to the economic recovery – has taken a hit. Being a president is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately job. This is yet another of Biden’s challenges.
- COVID factor. At the same time, the public is less trusting of the major institutions tasked with guiding us out of the pandemic. Again, COVID rules.
- Blame game. But who’s to blame for rising cases? Overall, America pins this on the unvaccinated. But as with so many other elements of life today, views splinter across partisan lines. Three in four Democrats attribute it to the unvaccinated. For Republicans, it’s people from other countries traveling to the U.S., the unvaccinated, and Biden. Two Americas – one red, one blue.
- Retrenchment. As vaccination rates slowly rise, we’re left with a core of the most dedicated anti-vaxxers. Vaccine mandates largely seem to fall on deaf ears with this group. The impossibility of nudging the “un-nudgeable.”
- Sourced information. Last but not least, this one is for the split reality files. Lately, there’s been a lot of talk in the news about ivermectin – a deworming drug typically used for animals that’s being touted as a COVID cure. Where you turn for news, conditions how you perceive this drug efficacy around COVID. Alternative sources, alternative facts.
We are still zeroed in on COVID. It defines the world today, looming behind our politics and daily lives. I can’t say enough that COVID rules are what regulate us – politically, economically, and socially.
One day, we will think of this as a distant memory. But for now, we must respect its contours.
Until then, be safe and be well.
