In the midst of the enormous health crisis that is the coronavirus pandemic, it’s sad there is so much political fire being exchanged. It’s actually necessary due to the disgraceful way the executive branch has denied the pandemic and mismanaged the response, but it’s still sad.
Not to pile on the sadness, but at the 30,000 foot level, there is a least one new political truth that has been brought into sharp focus. That is, that Democrats have become the party of compliance, while Republicans have become the party of defiance.
It hasn’t been like this since, well, ever. Democrats are supposed to be the liberal ones, fighting against the status quo. Does anybody around here remember the battles (both real and figurative) of the 1960s and 1970s, not to mention the progressive, Medicare-for-all movements of the now? And Republicans have always been the party of don’t-change conservatism, supposedly more obedient to the law.
The pandemic changed that. When it came time to follow the advice of the medical experts, to take precautions, to stay home, to avoid people…..it was Democrats who were quick to comply. Meanwhile, led by the misinformation of their chief executive and conservative media, the Republicans were slow to act. They thought they were smarter than the experts, who weren’t going to tell them what to do.
Only three or so weeks into this thing, we know compliance saves lives, while defiance costs lives. While it’s been awful to have watched this happening in real time, there may be one very small consolation – defiance is more likely to thin the herd of the defiant ones, at least for the future.
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