The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the US harder than any other industrialized country. The country that, four years ago was most prepared for a pandemic of this nature now has more deaths than any other country in the world and is 7th in deaths per capita. Unlike most other countries the pandemic appears to be getting worse in the US in recent days and weeks. The pandemic was always going to lead to some loss of life, but the extraordinary impact of Covid-19, which far exceeds what should have happened here, is largely due to the belligerent, ignorant and fantastical mishandling of the crisis by the American president and the cowardly sycophants around him.

The impact of the virus has been so devastating in the US in large part because of our own preexisting conditions, not as individuals, but as a society. The deep racism in America which means that so many aspects of life, from public security to housing to work is experienced differently depending on race, a healthcare system that leaves many with inadequate coverage, income inequality that forces many to work in unsafe jobs and in unsafe conditions and the lack of a social safety net all made the Covid-19 hit the US particularly hard.

These conditions were not created by Donald Trump, but when they collided with Trump’s efforts to rollback American democracy as well as his incompetent, self-absorbed and ignorant approach to the pandemic the results were devastating for America. This should be a reminder that while the proximate cause of the current recession, high jobless rate and other problems in the American economy was the pandemic, the deeper problems of American society and economy will make recovery both from the public health and economic crises extremely difficult. The millions of Americans who are out of work or have otherwise suffered severe declines in incomes, cannot simply be asked to return to jobs that, like so many in 21st century America, is low paying with no health benefits.

Accordingly, if Joe Biden is wins the election and becomes president-the latter can no longer be assumed to automatically follow from the former in America-he will be faced with the immediate task of digging America out of the economic and public health hole that has been created by Covid and by Trump. However, Biden, and his party, would be making an enormous mistake if they understood that as the entirety of their task.

The other, and more difficult, task that Biden, if he becomes president, will face will be to address the underlying problems that made the US so uniquely vulnerable to both electing a clownish, avaricious authoritarian like Donald Trump and to Covid-19 itself. This is much more difficult than just crafting a better response to Covid10. Simply asking all Americans to wear masks, stopping the disinformation campaign from the White House and urging Americans to listen to the science would save tens of thousands of lives. However, only when the preexisting ailments in American society are addressed can America fully recover from Covid-19.

This may seem like an enormous challenge, but in many respects the foundations for fixing these underlying and preexisting problems have been strengthened in recent months. Progressive ideas about racial justice, restructuring the health care system, and indeed major parts of the economy, have gained more legitimacy in the last few months than at any point in the previous several decades. While no national consensus exists around these issues, there is an emerging majority that is beginning to understand that America in recent years has been heading down a wrong, and very dangerous, path. In this respect, much of the hard work of fixing America’s problems has already begun. Biden’s primary role as president will be to not stand in the way of the change that is coming and that is broadly supported within his party. As president, Biden will be most effective if he sees himself not as an initiator of legislation, but as a facilitator of its passage. His decades of experience in the Senate will be very valuable there.

Biden is not yet president, and although recent polls show him with a commanding lead over Trump, a lot can happen between now and next January. At the very least, Covid-19 and Trump will continue to reveal and deepen America’s pre-existing conditions over the next six months. Therefore, Democratic victory in November that gives that party control of the White House and both houses of Congress is essential for the future of the US, and for the survival of American democracy, but that victory must not be squandered in the name of modest goals.

Photo: cc/Anthony Crider

Lincoln Mitchell