When the coronavirus began spreading across the U.S., there was some hope that the crisis could bring Americans together and unify the country.

A column written in early February for The Hill was titled “Coronavirus does not distinguish between Democrats and Republicans - neither should Congress.” It raised the belief that viruses have no party and that members of Congress needed to check their egos and bury the partisan politics in order to fight the unseen enemy.

There was some hope for unification at the beginning of the pandemic, but as shutdowns of the economy and personal self-quarantine responses progressed, we began seeing political shifts. Opinions about the overall severity and impact of the threat surfaced, especially among Republicans.

In early February, 72% of Republicans saw the coronavirus as a real threat, but by mid-March, that number dropped to 40%.

Surveys today continue to show differences in how residents of blue and red states are responding. Democrats seem more willing to prolong the lockdowns while Republicans in locations that have not suffered as much are showing a greater willingness to reopen the economy, including schools, restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters and hospitals.

A national YouGov survey last month found that political identity influences Americans’ willingness to adopt preventive health behaviors, such as social distancing and whether or not to wear a face mask. The survey showed 67% of Democrats reported wearing them, compared to 54% of Republicans.

To his credit, President Trump provided a unifying moment last week by singling out Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, for his response to coronavirus. Polis immediately drew criticism from the liberal left, including CNN’s Don Lemon, who was critical of Polis for even accepting an invitation to the White House to discuss strategy with other governors and the president.

Polis later admitted having had differences with the president in the past but explained this was not the time to air differences on unrelated policies but for all Americans to work together to defeat a common foe.

Concerning media coverage of coronavirus, Democrats and Republicans are as divided now in their views as they were in the days before the pandemic. A YouGov study found a 35 percentage point divide between the two parties in thinking that news coverage of the coronavirus outbreak is largely accurate, but that number grows to 46 points between liberal Democrats (72%) and conservative Republicans (26%).

About 86% of Republicans trust Trump “somewhat to very much” to effectively handle the pandemic whereas only 10% of Democrats do while about 70% of Democrats trust the World Health Organization “somewhat to very much,” whereas only 25% of Republicans do.

Last month, WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus warned against politicizing the virus, calling on countries to “please work across party lines.”

Not surprising, another place where unity is an almost nonexistent term is in the Democratically controlled House of Representatives. Last Friday the legislative body passed a massive $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill.

Although the first four coronavirus bills were passed with bipartisan support, this one was drafted by Democrats alone and there were cracks in the ranks. Fourteen Democratic defectors voted “no,” on the most expensive legislation approved by that body in history while one Republican - Rep. Pete King of New York - broke with the GOP and voted “yes.”

Republican critics have labeled the bill a “liberal wish list” that has no chance of becoming law. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pointed to one Democratic provision that eases the marijuana industry’s access to banks, stating that the bill may help the cannabis industry, but it won’t help Main Street.

Another red flag for Republicans is a provision to expand handout checks to certain undocumented immigrants.

Stating that the bill has nothing at all to do with the current crisis, Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole likened it to a liberal Christmas wish list. He said it would make more sense for the Democratic leadership to just send it straight to Santa Claus than to send it to the Senate since it would have a better chance of becoming law that way.

Before getting into the Christmas season, the nation must go through a hot summer, and from the corridors of Washington politics to main streets across America, tempers will continue to flare over the coronavirus response.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com