GOP's opposition to unemployment payments amid the COVID-19 crisis could be their undoing: analysis

The Republican Senate's plan for a coronavirus stimulus package has been to pull back on the things allocated to Americans.

For example, the Democratic bill Congress passed in May would maintain the $600 increase in unemployment benefits that were in the previous COVID-19 bailout bill. The Republican plan would drop that amount because people aren't comfortable going back to work and the lack of funds would push them back into the workforce, they think. Their bill also would block them from suing their employers if they get the virus on the job due to the employer's recklessness.

Democrats are against both policies.

Polling for the GOP plan shows it is the most unpopular plan the GOP has had yet.

"The GOP argument that we shouldn’t renew unemployment benefits because they pay people more than when they were working is just getting trounced among voters," said Sen. Kamala Harris's (D-CA) former campaign press secretary Ian Sams. "The Dem argument to extend UI is +19, and +22 among independents. There’s no question which side the public is on."

The GOP hasn't done well in the response to the pandemic. Surveys throughout the crisis show that Americans are worried about the virus and the economy.

The Baltimore Sun editorial board noted that the GOP should see the writing on the wall. The Sun described Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the president's biggest enabler, noting that he only recently realized he's making things worse for the GOP

"We’re glad to see this new appreciation within the Republican Party for certain realities, but desperately wish it hadn’t taken four years of fake news from the administration and tens of thousands of deaths to get here," the editorial said.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that if the GOP plans on doing something they should do it fast, because the money runs out at the end of next week. After turning over their plan to the White House, Mnuchin said it's going to take a while to review it.

For governors following Trump, their trustworthiness has taken a hit as well. GOP governors have gotten higher marks that Trump, but that seems to have slipped.

A Gallup poll recently found that Americans in the 26 states with GOP governors are growing tired of the antics. The 24 states governed by Democrats are viewed positively by their state.

"In fact, over the past month, the share of respondents who agreed that their governor cared about the safety and health of their community fell by 8 points, from 61 percent to 53 percent, in states where a Republican is governor; opinion in Democratic-run states hovered around 65 percent, despite some movement week to week," said FiveThirtyEight.