RUTHFULLY YOURS

America has no patience for any politicians who seek to use the COVID-19 crisis to advance their own partisan agenda.

That is the bottom line from a recently completed national survey by McLaughlin & Associates that reveals how this pandemic has united our nation in a manner not seen since we came together as one to retaliate against aggressor nations that would harm our democracy.

This comprehensive poll of 1,000 likely voters documents a shared, historic commitment by Americans to national unity as we begin the task of recovering from the health and economic impact of COVID-19. Equally important, the poll shows that this undertaking has no political leaning. When pollsters asked if the coronavirus is a “Republican issue,” only 9% said yes. Some 7% said it was a Democrat issue. A stunning 79% of likely voters said, “partisan politics have no role to play in the coronavirus response.”

Perhaps the last time any of us saw nearly 80% of Americans agree on any issue was our resolute response to the 9/11 attacks by terrorists or our nation’s spirit following Pearl Harbor. Today’s findings send a strong and unmistakable message to all politicians, pundits, and policy makers that there is no room for politics in a COVID-19 era, one that will require us to reinvent the American economy by bringing manufacturing, jobs and investment back to the United States.

Other key points that indicate the underlying strength of Americans faced with a common enemy: Four out of five likely voters surveyed told pollsters, “Americans have the means of coming together to confront the challenges ahead.” Approximately 14% said no. What amazed the pollsters was that these findings represented Republicans, Democrats, and independents nearly equally. (The survey found that 89% of Republicans agreed, 75% of Democrats and 74% of independents. These are extraordinary findings at a time when we spend so much of our time in partisan bickering.)

The poll also found that Americans are well aware that this pandemic could rob us of our global leadership. Four in ten voters voiced concern to the pollsters. Yet the findings were split along age: the younger the respondent, the more fearful they were. What this reveals is that those who have weathered prior crises that our nation has faced know what we are capable of overcoming.

The irony of COVID-19 is that its ultimate legacy may be the renewed sense of patriotism among Americans of all political stripes who now recognize that putting aside our differences and concentrating on policies that will protect our nation today and far into the future is our shared path forward.

Lawrence Kadish is a real estate developer, entrepreneur, and founder and president of the Museum of American Armor.