It’s the Pandemic…

Photo: worldatlas.com

By Isaac Cohen*

Economic determinism apparently is not the top issue in today’s election. After the tremendous shock that the pandemic inflicted to the world economy, the electoral campaign in the United States was dominated by the spread and control of the coronavirus. On the eve of the election, the highly anticipated “October surprise” arrived, but in the form of a spike in the number of persons infected and deceased. As of last Saturday, in the United States the number of daily new coronavirus cases went over 90,000 and the number deaths passed 230,000. Looking ahead, Dr. Anthony Fauci, member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told The Washington Post (11/01/20) “We’re in for a whole lot of hurt. It’s not a good situation… as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors.”

The concern with the spread of the virus figures prominently in the decision of almost 100 million persons who, as of last Monday, had already voted, which is equivalent to more than two thirds of the 139 million votes cast in the 2016 election. This massive early voting indicates that today’s election will register a record in voter participation. Early voters in Texas, for instance, exceeded the number of 2016 voters.                       https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/us-election-2020-guide-what-time-results-are-expected-and-what-to-watch-for/ar-BB1aELOs

*International analyst and consultant, former Director ECLAC Washington. Commentator on economic and financial issues for CNN en Español TV and radio, TELEMUNDO, UNIVISION and other media.

Deja una respuesta

Tu dirección de correo electrónico no será publicada. Los campos obligatorios están marcados con *

Artículos Relacionados