The fallout happening for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has woken Americans up to the fact that, when it comes to the COVID-19 numbers, it’s unlikely that the numbers are factual.
As I’ve previously reported, New York Democrats are now mounting a rebellion against Cuomo for his lies about the number of people who died in nursing homes as a result of his policies, going so far as to call for his emergency powers to be stripped and for the assembly to begin impeachment proceedings.
The fallout is much more than just a disaster for Cuomo. According to Rasmussen, a majority of Americans want Congress to investigate whether officials have reported COVID-19 cases accurately:
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters think Congress should investigate whether officials are reporting accurate information about COVID-19 cases. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
While Americans are divided over many issues, support for a congressional investigation into official COVID-19 reports is strong across party lines. Seventy-four percent (74%) of GOP voters support such an investigation, as do 60% of Democrats and 59% of voters not affiliated with either major party.
When it comes to whether officials can be trusted to report COVID-19 information accurately, however, Republicans are significantly more skeptical. Only 13% of GOP voters say they have a lot of trust in information from public officials about the number of cases and the number of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. By contrast, 44% of Democrats say they have a lot of trust in information from public officials about the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. Twenty percent (20%) of unaffiliated voters say they have a lot of trust in such information.
The skepticism of Republicans isn’t surprising, nor is the percentage of them calling for an investigation. What’s more surprising is the 60 percent of Democrats who want it. It’s the Democrats who have been pushing hard for lockdowns, mask-wearing, and defending Democrat politicians who proclaim to be following the “science.”
Now, with Cuomo facing a potential impeachment and Gavin Newsom staring a recall election in the face, Democrat voters are likely wondering if the people they put their faith in when it came to leading them through the COVID-19 crisis have been hiding the real information from them all along. It certainly seems like it, especially given the fact that many blue states have found their economies collapsed, suicides up, millions of jobs lost, businesses have gone under, and more as a result of draconian lockdown policies.
Meanwhile, red states seem to be fine both economically and have far less of an infection rate to boot. Proof of this can be seen in a comparison of the numbers between the state of Florida and the state of California, with the former doing far better than the latter.
(READ: A Tale of Two States)
Working-class Americans have lost far more due to these lockdowns than the rich have. Interestingly, the rich are far more likely to trust authority figures than working-class people according to Rassmussen:
The rich have more trust in public officials than do the poor. Among voters earning more than $200,000 a year, 45% say they have a lot of trust in information from public officials about the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, compared to just 20% among those earning less than $30,000 a year.
With many Americans having been reduced to poverty, it’s not any surprise that Cuomo’s investigation is calling for larger investigations to happen. The question is, will any investigation actually happen? It’s likely that any Democrats in Congress will work to protect themselves. Either they will attempt to find ways to defend authorities who pushed these lockdown rules on them or they will throw these local authorities under the bus, along with any experts who helped them make these moves.
While an investigation would be great, it’s likely that none will happen in earnest. Still, it’s good that the American people are developing a skepticism for authority figures. It’s a skepticism that may grow and cause trouble for authoritarian leaders down the line.
