The Memo: Will COVID's dip boost Biden?
By Niall Stanage - 10/24/21 12:00 PM EDT
President Biden’s fortunes could be set for a boost as the outlook on COVID-19 improves — even as much of the political media has its gaze fixed elsewhere.
Biden’s fraught efforts to get his legislative agenda through Congress have dominated the conversation in political circles recently. Yet, even if his large social-spending bill passes, it will be some time before its benefits are felt in voters’ daily lives.
Meanwhile, the COVID picture is brightening in the here and now.
Daily infections are currently running at around 75,000 per day. That’s roughly a 25 percent reduction in the last two weeks, and a halving of infections from the most recent peak, hit just last month.
The war is far from over. COVID is still claiming the lives of around 1,500 Americans each day. But that, too, is a significant reduction on September’s figures.
An Economist/YouGov poll conducted Oct. 16-19 indicated that 42 percent of adults believe “the worst part of the pandemic is behind us” while only 17 percent believe it is “going to get worse.”
Interestingly, Republican voters are much more optimistic on that score than Democrats, with 60 percent of GOP voters believing the worst was over, compared to 32 percent of Democrats.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/578151-the-memo-will-covids-dip-boost-biden
