Biden’s problem is bigger than the unpleasant sensation of being hoisted by one’s own petard.

A focus on the pandemic and Trump’s alleged responsibility for it was key to Democratic victory in 2020. Yet now that they’re in power, Democrats have embraced lockdowns, mask mandates and school closures not so much as public health requirements as signs of public virtue and patriotism. The mask, even when worn under circumstances where it was clearly unnecessary—whether outdoors or on children, even when they were playing outside—became the Democrats’ version of the red MAGA cap.

The Left now openly deprecates the public’s desire for an off ramp from pandemic measures, especially when red-state governors like Florida’s Ron DeSantis fight back against unnecessary restrictions. Democrats have learned to thrive by cultivating COVID fears among their supporters and labeling all those who resisted masks and mandates as threats. Now that it appears the disease is not going away, they have no choice but to respond to each new wave with the same heavy-handed tactics and scary rhetoric as before—with as little chance of providing a path to an endgame.