Biden makes progress on COVID, while infrastructure legislation stalls By John Zogby
Finally, there are some signs of progress on COVID-19. The numbers of deaths and new cases are on the decline. Signs point to the efficacy of vaccines, new rounds of boosters will be available shortly, and most of those who self-identify as “hesitant” do eventually receive vaccinations when their employers mandate them to.
President Biden and the Democrats are focusing attention on the two infrastructure bills, but this issue has become lost in the Bermuda Triangle known as the Beltway — and thus remote from the kitchen tables and family rooms where it needs to be discussed. The Democrats, instead of laying out the benefits of the bills to families and workers, have allowed themselves to be mired in both an ideological battle and the weird battles between one senator and unforgiving progressives.
Photo by White House
If Biden is going to get control of the situation, he will first have to persuade the public that real progress is being made on containing the spread of COVID-19 and how the next phase is to get real families back on their feet. He needs to do a national tour to political swing states and explain the stakes involved in real and personal terms. Drop the talk about “trillions” in spending and return the conversation to hundreds and thousands of dollars. Right now, he is not in control.
Applications for unemployment benefits were down, but good economic news has gotten lost.
John Zogby (@TheJohnZogby) is the founder of the Zogby Poll and Zogby companies, including John Zogby Strategies, and author of We Are Many We Are One: Neo-Tribes and Tribal Analytics in the 21st Century America.
