Josh Kraushaar: “A fundamental rule of politics is the party that’s divided is the one that’s losing. A cardinal rule of pandemic politics is that it’s better to err on the side of caution instead of taking risks that would invite a political backlash. There are no libertarians in a crisis, but there will be lots of angry voters if a public official’s ideological commitments lead them to make decisions that endanger public health.”
“President Trump has brazenly broken both those rules in the past week…”
“Typically during a crisis, leaders try to build as much bipartisan goodwill as possible to hedge against the inevitable recriminations to come. Trump, by contrast, relishes in embracing polarizing positions that only divide voters and make his political recovery all the more difficult in the future. By turning the coronavirus crisis into a partisan issue so quickly, Trump ensures that he’s on the losing side of the debate.”
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