I realize that Trump's brand of jingoistic and nationalistic right-wing populism appeals to many who have experienced the indignities and resentiment deriving from a neoliberal global order that has rejected them. To them I ask: where are you now?
And I am not talking to all of you financially secure Republicans who reap structural advantages from a predatory state.
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It is not that I am a fervent Democrat. I follow other lefts who critique this party for ignoring the plight of the growing ranks of dispossessed because of their elite alliances.
But this vote wasn't about Democrats or Republicans.
This vote was about whether any semblance of law and justice would continue to exist in the US.
A Democratic victory doesn't necessarily advance these causes as desired, but it certainly curtails the ongoing debacle in governance.
Moreover, Biden will not subscribe to Trump's plan to allow coronavirus to circulate unimpeded until our health care system and other other critical infrastructures collapse from the pressures.
Thank goodness for this sense among "the people" that failed governance has prevailed for too long.
We are facing an escalating threat and need sound governance.
SARS-CoV-2 has mutated in mink farms and has now produced a mutation that evades the body's antibody defense system. This mutation has been found in 12 people who worked at the farms. Hopefully it has not spread far. This is not the first time antibody resistant mutations have been documented, just the worst.
The good news is that a nasal spray developed by researchers at Columbia university might work to block the virus replication in the nasal passage and thereby stop the disease. I hope clinical trials begin soon as these seems to be a logical and productive approach.
We need a competent federal government to help manage this ongoing disaster. but I also share the concerns expressed by so many that "help" could become a new form of medical tyranny so the plan for tackling this crisis must include many stakeholders and must be the least restrictive possible.
Most critically, people who are economically displaced by this ongoing crisis must be offered a safety net that protects them and their family from further shocks.
People cannot be subject to lockdowns without economic and social support regardless of the emergency.
