Cliff’s Take: Coronavirus A Dividing Line

Just 53 days until election-day. Most indicators are still bad for Donald Trump – the horse race polls, the match-ups on the main issues all favor Joe Biden. Not to mention Bob Woodward’s revelations. As it turns out, Trump knew that COVID-19 was both deadly and airborne as early as February.

But there are glimmers of hope as well.  Trump's approval ratings in many of the key swing states are not that bad, putting him in striking distance. And though Woodward’s book might come as a shock to some, it’s not necessarily going to change minds at this point.

In short, mixed signals. Well, so much for the election and politics.  Let's take a break and think about other things.  There is an entire world out there. 

Did you remember that today is 9/11? This day was an inflection point for our nation. So too is COVID-19. After the collapse of the Twin Towers, there was no going back to a pre-9/11 world. The same, I believe, with the coronavirus.

To wit, see below a potpourri of data showing how our world has already been transformed.

1. Fears of terrorism distant. Terrorism became the number one fear in the wake of 9/11. But see how opinion changes. Today, coronavirus and the economic fallout are what we’re afraid of. 
2. Acceptance. Yes, the pandemic has changed our world—at least temporarily. For now, Americans must face up to the fact that things are different and might never look quite the same again. Humans adapt; we adapt.  We find news way of living and doing. 

    

3. Slow cruise control. COVID has had a definite impact on the economy – weekly jobless claims regularly surpass the worst seen during the recession. Unemployment was at 8.4% in August.  And consumer confidence is well below the surging optimism seen just before the lockdowns. But still – though confidence dropped back in March things have never gotten as ugly as they did in 2009.  Hope springs eternal.  Will the economy? 

    

4. Basics: Family and Safety. In the worst of times we gain clarity on what matters most. Family comes first, together with safety. Health, of course, is there as well. But we realize that having stuff is just not that important. Maybe this is the bright side of COVID – centering us on the non-material aspects of life.  We will see. 
5. COVID fun. The coronavirus cloistered us off from the world for a while there. Even though life is picking up again, our opportunities for fun are more limited nowadays. No gatherings indoors, some parks are closed or limiting the number of visitors. Movies theaters and restaurants in many places are just starting to reemerge. But people still are having fun. A friend’s house is one—breaking the isolation.  A barber or a hair salon is another. Oh, think of it!  The small pleasures in life. 

    

Nice to not talk politics for a change.  As always, be healthy and be sane.

For more information, please contact:

Clifford Young
President, U.S.
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2016
[email protected]

For more information on COVID-19 please click here

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