The coronavirus pandemic has been unprecedented in its scope and duration, as has our response to it. The economy stands still while millions of people file for unemployment, our healthcare system is working overtime to prevent an exhaustion of resources, and our lawmakers are struggling to find ways to provide immediate relief while minimizing long-term damage.

All of this has required a kind of political and economic flexibility that has the potential to change the way we think about and address future crises. And it has, in some ways, accelerated the political realignment we first noticed in 2016 with the election of President Trump.