A year and a half of cruel and brutal closures in the face of a deadly virus has once again broken American politics in half, confronting public health with economic libertarianism and further poisoning the already bitter character of our modern debate.
MSNBC anchors judge those who have not yet received a coronavirus vaccine or refuse to wear masks. On Fox News, the hosts express their outrage President Biden
Joe Biden The FBI releases the first document of 9/11 after Biden’s executive ordered the transfer of Afghan pilots to the U.S. base after fleeing to Uzbekistan: WSJ’s NATO chief says l alliance signed the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan MOREdecision to mandate vaccines for federal workers and companies with more than 100 employees.
These polarized views dominate the conventional wisdom of current politics, but a significant group could make a decision about the winner of the public health debate: voters.
As the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes the United States to return to the depths of another wave of disease, the first proof of these opposing views comes this week, when California voters decide whether to remember the government. Gavin Newsom
By defeating the memory of Newsom, pro-election women would send a powerful message. How Gavin Newsom fought retirement Harris to celebrate fundraising for McAuliffe ahead of Virginia governor’s career MORE (D).
Polls don’t look good for Newsom’s enemies, led by Larry Elder, the conservative Republican radio broadcaster who has become the most prominent challenger who will likely lead the field of substitutes in Tuesday’s vote. Over the summer, polls showed that Newsom barely survived the withdrawal attempt. But now, about 60 percent of California voters say they plan to keep him in office.
Newsom won the wrath of more than 2 million voters who signed a withdrawal petition the year after it issued initial closure orders. But the governor has taken an improbable path to his current and much more favorable situation: he has doubled his calls for warrants for vaccines, masks and stricter adherence to public health measures that he says are necessary. to protect Californians.
He has posted critical announcements with Elder’s opposition to vaccination warrants while issuing his own orders for state health care workers and teachers to get beaten up to protect themselves from the virus.
In doing so, Newsom has made a prominent bet, which is instructive for Democrats across the country: While the strongest voices in the room may be furious about vaccine warrants, the silent majority of voters adopt the warrants and sees them as the way back to normal.
“We must not be afraid to campaign against vaccines. We should not be afraid to challenge directly, do you want a vaccine warrant or a blocking warrant? This is the election, ”said Christine Pelosi, the former chair of the California Democratic Party women’s group and longtime party activist.
The message could work well in California, where more than 83% of adults over the age of 18 have received at least one punch so far, making it one of the most vaccinated states in America. This title helped clarify the rise of the delta variant, which hit hardest in the states (especially in the south), where vaccination rates are lowest.
“We are in a state where most voters are vaccinated, ”said Mark Di Camillo, voting director at the University of California, Berkeley Institute for Government Studies. “We are talking about an electorate that sells a lot when it is vaccinated ”.
Polls suggest that the United States, the most libertarian Western democracy than any of its European cohorts, is in favor of the government demanding medical interventions. A Gallup poll published last week showed that most Americans favor companies requiring vaccination tests for those who want to travel by plane, go to the office, attend a crowded event, or even dine at a restaurant .
A survey conducted in the middle of last month, by the National Opinion Research Center for the Associated Press, it was found that 55 percent of adults supported Americans wearing masks when they were near others away from home. Only a quarter of adults said they opposed these mask warrants.
These results contrast with Republican governors and voices on social media saying the mandates are not the answer.
“Despite all the noise from the aggressive constituency that has problems with the vaccine, actual votes show that pop is a supporter of vaccines and supports the mandates of masks,” said Josh Newman (D), a senator from the state of California that has supported Newsom.
Newsom is likely to become the first California governor to survive a withdrawal attempt, 18 years after former Gov. Gray Davis (D) was ousted amid an energy and budget crisis. It seems that the silent majority, this time, may be on the Democratic side.
“This is becoming what is vaccinated against what is not vaccinated, and most voters are vaccinated. So the math isn’t hard to do,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who worked for former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). “When the polls arrived, [Newsom’s] pro-vaccine and mask policies were popular with the majority of voters, including 40% of Republicans. ”
Some Democrats expect the lessons of California, one of the country’s most liberal states, to be passed on to other competitive competitions. The next election on the calendar takes place in Virginia, where former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has adopted vaccination warrants and tried to paint his Republican opponent, former Carlyle Group executive Glenn Youngkin, as an opponent of the warrants. .
Youngkin is not a fan of mandates, but publishes an advertisement urging people to get vaccinated.
“The lesson we’ll take in Virginia is that vaccines work,” Pelosi said. “Vaccines and masks are the best shortest distance in life and they are back to normal.”
On The Trail is a column reported by Reid Wilson.