At every level of government, the Democratic Party defended restrictions by aligning with the authority of science. Result: After living for two years under that authority’s thumb, people are looking for respite from government, which by definition means the Democrats.

President Biden’s claim that his economic recovery is unprecedented also mischaracterizes the public’s understanding of the pandemic experience. People know the lockdowns suspended a strong economy. One day they had a job. Then they didn’t. The U.S. rebound from this mandated downturn is natural, not a Biden miracle. Some aid helped some people, but there’s no reason that should translate into a wellspring of support for the party.

The Washington Democrats wasted their political capital in 2021 trying to create a once-and-for-all U.S. entitlement state with Build Back Better. That became a spectacle of political failure. So Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another progressive oracle, argued last weekend that the party’s survival depends on passing legislation to regulate drug prices and leaning on Mr. Biden to issue a long list of executive orders. Likely political resonance: about zero.