Parents angered over COVID restrictions and feeling unheard by Democratic representatives are “done with the party” and seeking Republicans for the midterms and beyond.
Leading up to President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union (SOTU) address, it was clear the nationwide strategy was to pull back from the pandemic and begin looking toward the future. The Capitol physician updated the mask guidance for Congress and a press release went out to “interested parties.”
Here is the literal memo to the Dems from Biden's polling firm. Declare a win over Covid and move on. I suspect CDC will get the memo. Will @GavinNewsom and @lapublichealth? We shall see. SOTU is Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/1Enk5SIITk
— Julie Hamill (@hamill_law) February 25, 2022
“It’s time for Democrats to take credit for ending the COVID crisis phase…” the memo read, “…and fully enter the rebuilding phase that comes after any war.”
For some parents, this public policy shift has arrived too late after feeling ignored throughout the pandemic. Amelia Fogarty and Caroline Montero, both moms from Connecticut who have supported Democrats throughout their lives, spoke with NPR to express their frustration.
“I’m absolutely going to be more involved in voting in midterms and any other election,” Montero said after efforts to push back against mandates with CDC went unanswered. “It opened my eyes to how important it is to have the right people in the right seat or the people you want in the right seat.”
Despite arguing the low risk that COVID poses to children, Montero couldn’t get Democrats to hear her out. “Only the Republicans met with me,” she said.
“I just feel they are not listening to their constituents in any way and I’m really frustrated,” Fogarty expressed, “and I’m just done with the party to be honest.”
Fogarty switched to the Republican party after a lifelong Democratic affiliation and is now being ostracized by friends and family alike. “It’s been really sad and very isolating, but I have stuck to my guns because I just, I feel very strongly in my heart that I know that this is not right.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) emphasized that “parents matter” in her response to Biden’s SOTU and indicated her state’s actions to safely reopen schools in Iowa well before any other state.
Iowa led the way in getting our kids back in school.
I was attacked by the Left and the media, but it wasn’t a hard choice – it was the right choice. pic.twitter.com/bhNZ75wbFV
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) March 2, 2022
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has also been a leader on parental choice throughout the pandemic and continues to expand the avenues for parental involvement that have long been blockaded by Democratic policies. Citing the developmental issues that have begun cropping up in young children forced to wear masks at schools, DeSantis pushed for parents to have the ability to sue over these mandates.
Meanwhile, the heavily Democratic influenced teachers unions continue to push back easing of restrictions. After the Chicago Public schools declared an end to their mask mandate, the Chicago Teachers Union has filed an “unfair labor practice charge,” according to the Chicago Tribune, further demonstrating they are more interested in themselves than the welfare children.
Justin Spiro, a Democrat employed as a social worker for a New York City high school, told NPR that the mandates have definitely taken a toll on the students. He feels like his party abandoned him when a Republican proposed bill to roll back mandates was blocked by NY Senate Democrats.
“I guess if there was a more centrist candidate or party,” Spiro said indicating how far left the Democrats have shifted, “that might be the way for me to go.”
Debbie, another lifelong Democrat similarly feels her party has left her. “That doesn’t mean I’ve become more conservative. What that means is I am so appalled at how the Democrats are performing. I don’t think I can even be a part of it anymore,” she said before suggesting many Democrat parents may sit out the election; another win for Republicans.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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