Omicron is surging — and Dems aren’t shutting things down this time

Instead of facing anger from Republican voters, Democrats must now contend with critics on the left who accuse their own party of selling out public health to keep the economy going. Labor unions representing teachers, health care workers and airline staff say governments aren’t providing enough tests and masks and that leaders should consider short-term closures until the Omicron surge ends…

“There’s a real social impact that I think has not been part of the messaging [until recently],” said Doug Rubin, a veteran strategist who has worked with several prominent Massachusetts Democrats, including former Gov. Deval Patrick, and on Tom Steyer’s 2020 presidential bid. “Democrats saw there were political impacts to this. They saw in Virginia and New Jersey the potential negative impacts of ignoring some of these issues.”…

“A year ago, most Democratic voters were ahead of where governors were, saying, ‘You’re not locking down enough,” Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray said in an interview. “Many of those people are now saying it doesn’t matter at this point, and what we’re seeing is governors reacting to that and acknowledging the mood of their own base.”