鈥楧emocrats woke a sleeping giant鈥�: Why parents say they鈥檝e had enough
Jennifer Reesman has always been a proud Democrat. A single mother who lives in one of the nation鈥檚 bluest counties, she says some of her favorite items of clothing include T-shirts from both Hillary Rodham Clinton鈥檚 and Sen. Elizabeth Warren鈥檚 presidential campaigns.
But as America enters its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Reesman is actively organizing to vote her local and state Democratic leaders out of office.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 look my kid in the eye and say I care about your education and vote for the Democrats right now,鈥� says Ms. Reesman, a pediatric neuropsychologist from Rockville, Maryland. 鈥淚 cannot believe that this is where we are 鈥� but it feels personal, and it feels painful.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
Pandemic fatigue is hitting Americans hard, particularly parents. They want to see their children happy, healthy, and in school, and are growing increasingly weary of 鈥渘ever-ending鈥� COVID-19 restrictions.
In 2020, Democrats won the White House and Senate in part by pitching themselves as the party that would take the pandemic seriously and get it under control. More than 90% of Democratic voters thought precautions like avoiding group gatherings and closing in-person schooling were necessary in the early months of the pandemic, . In crucial swing states, a majority of voters that containing the virus was more important than rebuilding the economy.聽
But a little over a year later, America is in a very different place. Vaccines are widely available, numerous studies have confirmed the virus poses little risk to children, and public health officials have characterized omicron as less virulent than previous variants. And a growing number of Democratic voters like Ms. Reesman are voicing frustration over the mounting toll of pandemic protocols 鈥� particularly those affecting kids and their education.
In cities where stadiums are packed with screaming sports fans and bars are fully open, many schools are continuing to impose mask mandates, separate children at lunch, and limit their extracurricular activities. Up until a recent change in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, schoolchildren often had to quarantine for 10 days whenever anyone in their class tested positive, causing a steady stream of disruptions.
With Democrats already facing head winds going into November鈥檚 midterm elections, political strategists say being seen as the party of 鈥渘ever-ending鈥� COVID-19 restrictions could pose a significant political liability.聽An early warning sign came with last November鈥檚 gubernatorial election in Virginia, where Republican Glenn Youngkin won in part by tapping into parental frustration. Post-election polling showed that education was the , with of education-minded voters supporting Mr. Youngkin.聽
Notably, both Virginia and New Jersey 鈥� an even bluer state where the Democratic governor barely eked out reelection in November 鈥� were in the states for in-person schooling during the 2020-2021 school year. Maryland, where Ms. Reesman lives, was ranked 47th.聽She says that at this point, Democratic officials ignore pandemic fatigue at their peril.
鈥淲e are a family that has done everything right,鈥� says Ms. Reesman, noting that she is boosted, her daughter is vaccinated, and they have conscientiously worn their masks when out in public. 鈥淭here is just no end of restrictions in sight, and no one seems to give a damn about it. I think Democrats have really underestimated what this did to families 鈥� and our level of anger.鈥澛�
鈥淭hings don鈥檛 feel back to normal鈥�
At a recent press conference, President Joe Biden that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot of frustration and fatigue in this country鈥� due to the pandemic, but insisted the nation is in a better place than a year ago. He noted that last spring鈥檚 $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan provided $130 billion to keep students and educators safe and schools open.
Many school districts 鈥渟pent this money very well,鈥� the president said, although 鈥渦nfortunately, some haven鈥檛.鈥� When asked directly if he thought school closures could be a potent issue for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, Mr. Biden admitted, 鈥淚t could be.鈥澛�
鈥淭here is frustration, because people wanted to see a return to normalcy under Biden,鈥� says Aliza Astrow, an analyst with the centrist think tank Third Way. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he promised and what people expected 鈥� but things don鈥檛 feel back to normal.鈥�
Recent polls show a widening divide among Democrats when it comes to COVID-19 restrictions. When asked in if they agreed with the statement 鈥淚t鈥檚 time we accept that COVID is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives,鈥� almost 90% of Republicans and more than 70% of independents said yes. Democrats, however, were almost evenly split 鈥� with 47% agreeing and 51% disagreeing.聽
鈥淚t shows a fracture鈥� in the Democratic Party, says Jason Roe, a GOP strategist and former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party. And internal divisions are not something a party wants heading into an election 鈥� particularly as it becomes harder and harder to please both camps.
Several Democratic governors, such as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Pennsylvania Gov. , and even Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had imposed some of the toughest restrictions in the country early on in the pandemic, have lately been emphasizing the need to 鈥渕ove on.鈥澛犅�
But the delay in getting there, and the continued push for restrictions by other members of the party鈥檚 base, may be enough to fuel a red wave next fall. In Michigan, Mr. Roe says county party chairs are seeing 鈥渟welling participation鈥� at local meetings with a new kind of attendee: parents.聽
鈥淚 think the Democrats woke a sleeping giant,鈥� says Mr. Roe.聽鈥淵ou are reaching a point where people on the left, who maybe were more collectivist about our responsibility, are done with it. They want their kids to be in a normal situation.鈥澛�
Disrupted schooling
While nearly all U.S. public schools have been operating in person since the fall, periodic closures and other disruptions have persisted.
According to Burbio, a data service that tracks school pandemic-related disruptions, more than 聽were not open for in-person learning the second week back from winter break. Almost 5,000 were closed the following week.聽In Maryland, 11 Montgomery County schools went virtual for two weeks in January after 聽of staff and students tested positive 鈥� a threshold the district after a public backlash.
Some of the disruptions have been the result of pandemic-induced staffing shortages as teachers, , and other staff have called out sick. Other districts were forced to close due to protesting teachers unions 鈥� sometimes pitting Democratic officials against a loyal component of their voter base. Students in Chicago missed five days of school last month when the Chicago Teachers鈥� Union held a strike after Democratic Mayor Lori Lightfoot opposed its demand to revert to virtual schooling.
It鈥檚 the one issue that comes up at campaign events 鈥渨ithout exception,鈥� says David Blair, one of聽 Democratic candidates running for Montgomery County executive.
鈥淭he pendulum has really swung from 鈥楲et鈥檚 be safe and cautious; let鈥檚 keep everyone home,鈥� to 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 we have enough substitute teachers, masks, and testing? These kids should be in school,鈥欌�� says Mr. Blair.聽
In some Democratic strongholds, school masking also seems to be a growing point of contention. In Virginia, where Governor Youngkin recently issued a ban on mask mandates, seven are challenging the ban in court. In Fairfax County, which voted for Mr. Biden by a margin of 40 percentage points, some 4,000 people logged into a virtual town hall in which the school district explained its decision to join the lawsuit. And while it was unclear how many attendees were in favor and how many opposed, almost all who spoke testified against school restrictions 鈥済oing further鈥� than they needed to.聽
Maryland gubernatorial candidate John King Jr., who was secretary of education under President Barack Obama, says Democrats understand the importance of in-person education 鈥� and care deeply about children鈥檚 well-being 鈥� but have often faced difficult choices due to the unpredictable nature of the virus.聽聽
鈥淲e should do everything possible to keep schools open safely, but acknowledge that sometimes, particularly staffing challenges make it necessary for schools to go virtual,鈥� says Mr. King, a Montgomery public school parent himself.聽
He says officials need to express more empathy about what the past two years have been like for parents: 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for leaders to acknowledge how hard it鈥檚 been.鈥� To help children make up for lost learning, he is pushing for more tutoring programs. He鈥檚 also advocating for more testing, a vaccine passport system for the state, and free KN95 or N95 masks for all students 鈥� tools he believes will help schools stay open and keep students safe.
Still, some Marylanders say that at this stage in the pandemic, they want fewer COVID-19 measures, not more.聽
Lori Trent, an independent voter from Silver Spring in Montgomery County, voted for Mr. Biden but says she鈥檚 disappointed with the president鈥檚 term thus far. A mother who works in health care IT sales, she wishes Mr. Biden had spent less time focusing on 鈥渕ultibillion-dollar bills for child care鈥� through his Build Back Better legislation and instead just ensured all public schools stayed open 鈥� the most basic form of child care for many families.
鈥淭he Democratic Party is saying, 鈥榃e are for families; we are for the working class,鈥� but at the same time they are also saying, 鈥榃e are going to close down schools 鈥� so we鈥檙e not really,鈥欌�� says Ms. Trent, who sent her high school son to live with her sister in Arizona last year so he could attend school in person.
鈥�At some point, Democrats need to drop it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is 2022.鈥澛�
Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that more than 7,450 public school districts were closed the second week after winter break. It was more than 7,450 public schools.聽
