… The fierce tribalism that has characterized debates over immigration, taxes and health care is now coloring policy-making during a coronavirus outbreak that threatens countless lives and local economies across the nation. There are exceptions, but Republican leaders have been far more likely to resist the most aggressive social distancing […] Read more »
The Virus Has Transformed the 2020 Elections. Here’s How.
From the White House to the county courthouse, the coronavirus pandemic has drastically upended the 2020 elections. … The outbreak, which has already claimed more than 2,000 lives in the United States and well over three million jobs, has thrust the public health threat and economic downturn to the forefront […] Read more »
Uneven coronavirus spread leads to uneven partisan response
The spread of the coronavirus has not occurred evenly around the country. Urban areas, such as New York City, have been harder hit than rural locales and that difference in impacts follows some of the deep partisan political splits in the country. Democrats and Republicans seem to be experiencing the […] Read more »
Post-ABC poll shows Trump and Biden in a competitive race for the White House
President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden are in a tightly competitive race for the White House in the November general election, with the president gaining ground on his likely challenger over the past month as the coronavirus pandemic convulses the country, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. […] Read more »
Biden consolidates support, but trails badly in enthusiasm
Former Vice President Joe Biden has emerged as Democrats’ top choice for the presidential nomination in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll, but with only bare majority support within his party and a massive enthusiasm gap in a November matchup against President Donald Trump. Indeed, strong enthusiasm for Biden among […] Read more »
Ten Takes on COVID-19 as an Economist and Citizen
… The COVID-19 crisis revealed human vulnerability and society’s dependence on science and scientists. In the last few years, there was growing resentment of elites and gravitation toward populist regimes that frequently rejected scientific opinions. The recent crisis is elevating awareness of the crucial role of scientific competence and evidence-based […] Read more »