Suez Canal signs $2bn first-phase deal to build petrochemical complex in Ain Sokhna    ICJ holds Israel responsible for worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza    Omar Hisham announces launch of Egyptian junior and ladies' golf with 100 players from 15 nations    Egypt, Sudan discuss boosting health cooperation, supporting Sudan's medical system    Cairo Metro's Line 4 project with Japan gets cabinet green light    Defying US tariffs, China's industrial heartland shows resilience    Pakistan, Afghanistan ceasefire holds as focus shifts to Istanbul talks    Beit Logistics invests EGP 500m to develop Safaga Integrated Logistics Center    Egypt's Social Housing Fund, United Bank sign deal to expand mortgage finance cooperation    Survivors of Nothingness – Part Three: Politics ... Chaos as a Tool of Governance    EU's Kallas says ready to deepen partnership with Egypt ahead of first summit    Egypt's Sisi hails Japan's first female PM, vows to strengthen Cairo-Tokyo ties    Egypt's exports to EU surge 7.4% to $8.7b in 8 months — CAPMAS    Egypt makes news oil, gas discoveries in Nile Delta    Egypt, France agree to boost humanitarian aid, rebuild Gaza's health sector    Egyptian junior and ladies' golf open to be held in New Giza, offers EGP 1m in prizes    The Survivors of Nothingness — Part Two    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Health Minister reviews readiness of Minya for rollout of universal health insurance    Egypt screens 13.3m under presidential cancer detection initiative since mid-2023    Egypt launches official website for Grand Egyptian Museum ahead of November opening    The Survivors of Nothingness — Episode (I)    Al-Sisi: Cairo to host Gaza reconstruction conference in November    Egypt successfully hosts Egyptian Amateur Open golf championship with 19-nation turnout    Egypt, WHO sign 2024-2028 country cooperation strategy    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Pandemic creates electoral uncertainty for Trump, Democrats
Published in Ahram Online on 11 - 05 - 2020

President Donald Trump's reelection is facing growing headwinds less than six months before Election Day.
Coronavirus has breached the White House walls. The U.S. unemployment rate is at a 90-year high. And the death toll in the U.S. has surged past 80,000, far more than the Republican president's projections. Meanwhile, medical experts are warning of a major second wave of infections as states begin to reopen portions of their economies with Trump's blessing.
Democrat Joe Biden has political challenges of his own, but no incumbent president has faced anything like this in almost a century.
THE BIG QUESTIONS
Has the U.S. economy hit bottom?
Just a few short months ago, Trump planned to campaign for reelection on the back of a robust economy. That's a distant memory after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April, leading to an unemployment rate of 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression.
Economists suggest the genuine unemployment number is much higher. Trump is encouraging states to reopen their economies to help reverse the slide, even as health experts warn that reopening too soon could lead to a second wave that would wreak greater economic devastation.
The president needs things to start turning around quickly.
Can Biden's campaign compete with the Death Star?
High-profile Democrats have begun voicing public concerns over the direction of Biden's presidential campaign as Trump enjoys major organizational advantages.
Trump has more money, a more sophisticated digital operation and a big staffing advantage. Last week, former Obama strategists David Axelrod and David Plouffe, in addition to Pete Buttigieg strategist Lis Smith, wrote separate op-eds offering their own suggestions for Biden's political strategy.
At the same time, the Trump campaign is unleashing a $10 million anti-Biden advertising blitz. Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said the massive round of attack ads represents the first major shot for what he called a juggernaut ``Death Star'' campaign. Biden's team is supremely confident in his ability to compete, yet Democrats are decidedly playing catch-up.
Will voters hold Trump accountable for the rising death toll?
Trump and his allies have repeatedly declared success in the fight against the coronavirus, even as the U.S. death toll blows past his own projections.
As recently as April 20 Trump predicted during his daily press briefing that between 50,000 and 60,000 Americans would ultimately die as a result of COVID-19. The number of deaths has already exceeded 80,000. Trump has been forced to adjust his projections on the fly. He told a Fox News audience over the weekend that the final tally could reach 100,000 deaths. It's uncomfortable to think about the political ramifications of such horror, but the death toll represents one of the few pieces of quantitative evidence of Trump's job performance.
Are the Obamas back?
Former President Barack Obama called Trump's handling of the coronavirus an ``absolute chaotic disaster'' in a Friday conference call in which he encouraged his former team to embrace Biden's presidential bid.
It was Obama's latest step into the 2020 contest, albeit a modest one, having maintained regular private contact with Biden and other Democratic candidates in recent months.
Yet the former president's 2020 political star, at least for now, may be overshadowed by former first lady Michelle Obama, who starred in a Netflix documentary released last week exploring her life and rise in politics.
Coinciding with the release, a new group emerged to encourage the former first lady to embrace a role as Biden's running mate. Michelle Obama has sent strong signals that she has no interest in returning to the White House. But even if she stands firm, the Obamas are reminding the political world that they still hold tremendous political power.
How do Democrats recalibrate their convention?
Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee. But the process of making it official is anything but settled.
First, it's far from clear whether host site Milwaukee will be open for even a scaled-down convention, said Melissa Baldauff, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
``We are really just in a place where the disease sets the timeline,'' Baldauff said. ``Everyone would love to have the convention here in Milwaukee, even if it's in a limited capacity. But from our perspective, it's too soon to tell.''
A month ago, the state Supreme Court overruled Evers' order to reschedule the primary election, despite a shortage of election workers in Milwaukee that forced officials to slash the city's 180 polling places to just five.
At least 67 Wisconsin residents were diagnosed with COVID-19 after voting in person or working at the polls April 7, though it wasn't clear how many of the infections were direct results of the election, state officials said.
An important next step in the altered nominating process comes Tuesday, when the Democratic National Committee's powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee meets _ virtually, of course _ to discuss granting waivers to states that missed deadlines by postponing their primaries due to the pandemic.
THE FINAL THOUGHT
His campaign has massive organizational advantages, but they may not matter much if Trump cannot effectively govern the nation when it matters most. The death toll, unemployment and public confidence in his administration is moving in the wrong direction. Congress has passed multiple economic rescue packages already, but the president has yet to offer or execute a clear, comprehensive nationwide plan to take control of the health crisis.


Clic here to read the story from its source.