Democrats now pro-business, pro-growth
Thanks to President Biden’s vaccine mandate for employers – and the GOP’S response – Democrats have taken over the mantle of the pro-business, pro-economy, pro-growth party.
It is Democrats, after all, who have a plan to get the economy humming again, by controlling the coronavirus and thereby making it safe for Americans to work, shop, attend school and otherwise resume their pre-pandemic economic lives.
For the past decade, voters have usually said they trusted Republicans more than Democrats on the economy. This was a triumph of propaganda over experience, given how much better the economy has generally performed under Democratic presidents, on nearly every major metric – jobs, output growth, productivity, stock prices. To be fair, Democrats’ superior economic record to date has been primarily due to luck. But right now, Democrats deserve Americans’ economic faith because they are the only – yes, only – party actively working to help the economy recover from COVID-19.
For a year and a half now, the virus has been in charge of the economy. Getting employment and other key metrics back on track requires curbing the virus’s spread. Under Biden’s leadership, Democrats have pleaded with Americans to voluntarily undertake the cheapest, most effective measure available for accomplishing this: getting vaccinated. Democrats have also urged adoption of other relatively inexpensive interventions, such as wearing masks in high-risk settings. These measures would relieve pressure on hospitals, help schools remain open (allowing parents to work), and generally make it safer and more attractive to engage in normal economic activities.
Republican politicians, however, have mostly opposed these common-sense policies.
Some have actively discouraged people from getting vaccinated, amplified conspiracy theories, and (in places including Florida and Texas) obstructed private companies from taking measures to reduce the spread of
Similar statements of support have been released by major national industry associations, including the Business Roundtable and the American Apparel & Footwear Association.
“Getting all eligible Americans vaccinated will, first and foremost, reduce hospitalizations and save lives. But it is also an economic imperative in that our recovery and quality of life depend on our ability to end this pandemic.”
COVID-19 within their own workplaces. These efforts, coupled with the spread of the more transmissible delta variant, have led to increased hospitalizations and deaths and slower job growth.
Some prominent Republicans, such as Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, have openly cheered on the carnage. Nevermind that GOP voters appear to be dying in higher numbers as a result.
Last week, Biden announced more aggressive actions to control the spread, including greater availability of COVID-19 tests and vaccination mandates for federal workers. The most controversial measure affected the private sector: a forthcoming requirement for companies with at least 100 employees to ensure their workers are either vaccinated or tested weekly if they return to the workplace.
Republican politicians around the country have adopted a PRO-COVID-19, anti-economy response.
Biden’s rule doesn’t yet exist, but already GOP officials have pledged to challenge it in court. They claim they want to protect the economy from tyrannical government intervention. Gov. Greg Abbott, R-texas, for instance, denounced Biden’s order as “an assault on private businesses.” This is pretty rich coming from Abbott, who has similarly “assaulted” private businesses – in his case, by forbidding firms that receive any public funds from implementing vaccine mandates.
Meanwhile, major business groups, including in Texas, do not appear to agree with Abbott’s assessment of Biden’s mandate.
“This will come as a relief to the business community, to have an order that requires all of them to move together,” the chief executive of the Greater Houston Partnership, the city’s largest business group, told my Post colleague David J. Lynch.
Similar statements of support have been released by major national industry associations, including the
Business Roundtable and the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “Getting all eligible Americans vaccinated will, first and foremost, reduce hospitalizations and save lives,” said the president and chief executive of the National Association of Manufacturers. “But it is also an economic imperative in that our recovery and quality of life depend on our ability to end this pandemic.”
Why might companies welcome a government order that ties their hands? Because they know they’re better off if their workers, and the public more broadly, are vaccinated.
Higher vaccination rates reduce the risk of interruptions to operations and make customers feel safer. Imposing mandates unilaterally is perilous, though, because Republicans have turned it into a culture-war issue. Given labor shortages and the highly combustible political environment, employers (understandably) fear losing anti-vax workers to competitors.
Public support for employer vaccination mandates has generally been rising, perhaps changing the risk calculus for some firms – but not enough of them, and not fast enough. That’s why it’s helpful for the government to step in and play bad cop.
Undoubtedly some firms will challenge the (forthcoming) requirement. And it remains unclear how conservative courts may respond. But in the meantime, more businesses can start ordering reluctant workers to get shots, since the government has given them cover to do so. Goldman Sachs has forecast that Biden’s new vaxrelated requirements should boost employment into early 2022.
Increasing vaccination is the best, cheapest way to save lives and stimulate the economy. If Republicans won’t get on board with this pro-growth policy, the least they can do is get out of the way.
Contact Catherine Rampell: washpost.com.