You have a mistaken perception of what the rest of the industrialized world is doing. South Korea is talking about new lockdowns, China has imposed them, and much of Europe still hasn't really opened up. Only a very few countries believe they're "finishing this off".
We gave it up because Americans didn't want to implement such painful measures. You can call it MAGA, but people on the left were just as happy to start attending and promoting mass gatherings once they had a good reason, and the article's example of California is hardly Trump country.
So... the current out of control outbreaks are less painful? You genuinely believe that? And CA, while it does have a growing outbreak, is in some sense the exception that proves the rule. Here are the 10 worst states right now per capita. California is at the bottom of the list, and is the only one you'll see there with a democratic governor.
I don't believe it, but I think it's clear that a lot of people do - otherwise they wouldn't be willing to attend large events or pack into crowded bars. (And I'm biased, since I never really liked mass gatherings in the first place.)
