Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-09-07)

1. CRISES

set off the largest wave

of American protests

since the 1960s. Clashes

between protesters

and right-wing groups

have since led to deaths

in Kenosha, Wis., and

Portland, Ore.

The U.S. government

fell short in its handling

of the pandemic from

the start, with President

Trump alternately saying

it was under control

and deflecting blame

onto states. Testing

rolled out haltingly;

states scrambled

for ventilators and

protective equipment;

and the president

declined to wear a

mask while promoting

dubious science. Now,

with only 4% of the

world’s population,

the U.S. accounts for

almost a quarter of

confirmed Covid-19 cases

and deaths. Barring

a miracle, millions of

voters will be going to

the polls in November

with a deadly virus still

on the loose. Voting by

mail seems like a safer

option. But Trump is

undermining it with the

baseless claim that mail-

in ballots will lead to

“massive fraud” and a

“rigged” result.

Welcome to the

election from hell,

which also may be

the most critical one

in our lifetime (an

election cliché, but in

this instance it might

really be true). The

choices are stark: a

mercurial incumbent

with an authoritarian

bent and a loyal base,

or an establishment

challenger who inspires

less passion. Law and

order, or a fraught

4

ELECTION 2020