Post-COVID interregnum

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… At this time last year, there was more hope for a clear-cut return to normal once we were no longer living by COVID’s rules. Delta and Omicron changed that calculus. Today, the addition of inflation to the mix makes for an even more volatile situation. Looking ahead, expect sentiment during this transient, not-quite-post-COVID period to be marked by inflation. CONTINUED

Clifford Young & Catherine Morris, Ipsos

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America’s Suburbs: Ground Zero in 21st Century Politics

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People often talk about politics as though the business of electing candidates is shrouded in nearly infinite complexity. The reality is that for most of the 40 years I have been in and around campaigns, winning has often come down to just three factors — the racial composition of a district or state, its median income, and the percentage of its voters who graduated college.

Recent years, however, have upended old assumptions. These days, the first thing I want to know about a district or state is its population density. In other words, is it primarily rural, urban, or suburban? If it’s in the last category, how far do these voters live from downtown – i.e., is it more of an inner suburb or an outer one?

The suburbs have often played a key role in election outcomes. However, most have missed how deeply they have changed since the turn of the century – and how profound the implications of those changes are for politics in the years ahead. CONTINUED

Doug Sosnik

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Views on the U.S. Role In Global COVID-19 Response

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As of March 17, 2022, the U.S. has provided funding and in-kind support for the global COVID-19 response, including delivering half a billion donated COVID-19 vaccine doses to more than 110 countries, with more donated doses to come. These efforts have been part of the Biden administration’s plan to usher in an end to the pandemic emergency, reduce the impact of COVID globally, and help reduce the chance of new, more-transmissible variants from emerging. In November 2021, polling from the KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor found the public was generally supportive of the U.S. helping to provide vaccines to other countries, especially when people were informed that the U.S. has enough of its own vaccine supply.

The latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor (conducted February 9-21, 2022) continues to find that the public is largely supportive of the U.S. role in global vaccine distribution, as well as other response efforts including the distribution of masks and COVID-19 rapid tests. CONTINUED

Kaiser Family Foundation

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The Real Lesson for All Factions of the Democratic Party

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… What are the lessons we should take from the 1992 Clinton campaign and his time in government if we want to help all factions contribute to rebuilding the national Democratic Party?

First, you must keep listening to working people and know how difficult it is to stay on course. You will be warned off “class warfare” and urged to offer “ladders of opportunity” to chip away at the country’s systemic inequalities. But building a politics around the latter is not the best way to achieve those changes. Nor does it elect Democrats.

We have learned that Democrats have to offer an expansive plan for government that addresses the fundamental problems facing working people and the country. CONTINUED

Stanley B. Greenberg, American Prospect

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Politico-Harvard poll: 40% of parents believe masks at school harmed their kids

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A significant percentage of parents whose children wore masks in school during the last year believe it harmed their education, social interactions and mental health, according to a POLITICO-Harvard survey.

The poll’s findings come as the Biden administration monitors events in Europe, where BA.2, a subvariant of Omicron, is wreaking havoc, and White House officials warn that masks may be necessary if Covid-19 cases increase in the United States. That would be an incredibly tough sell to parents of school-aged children, according to the survey. CONTINUED

Dan Goldberg, Politico

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Feeling the sting of rising prices, most are critical of the national economy and Biden’s management of it

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A majority of Americans are concerned about the increasing cost of everyday items like groceries, gas, and other goods and services. With energy and consumer prices on the rise, nearly 7 in 10 consider the national economy to be in poor condition.

Americans, however, are more optimistic about their own finances. Sixty-three percent describe the financial situation in their own household as good.

Joe Biden continues to receive low marks on his handling of the economy, with just 34% of Americans expressing approval. And although more Americans think his policies have hurt the economy than helped it, a majority believes higher gas prices are outside of his control. CONTINUED

AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

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