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| blog.google |
Blogger Candidate Forum was starting to get a little anxious to return so Yours Truly decided it was time. With the primaries confined to the back pages and the nominees all but decided, The Candidate Forum wanted to step in and talk COVID-19 and what it reveals about the red states and the blue states but first, a statement from this blog about yesterday's photo-op at St. John's Episcopalian Church in Washington D.C.
Both Blogger and The Candidate Forum were appalled beyond words at the president's co-option of religious imagery to make some grand political point. Even more appalling is the way law enforcement fired tear gas and rubber bullets, in what was no doubt, a carefully choreographed sickening display of power by an extremely vain, insecure, little man loosing his grip on the office he was elected to. Sacred sites are the place where a person can come and seek solace and be comforted. They are places where a person can celebrate or mourn. At no time did the president pause for reflection or offer words of comfort. Instead, he held up a bible, in a similar manner as school crossing guard, disconnected, offering words of man experiencing the final gasps for political power. The COVID-19 virus and the tragic death of George Floyd are the kinds of moments that call for leadership not a hollow man. Onward
COVID-19 has revealed a lot about the stark differences in the blue and red states. The death toll from the virus is now over 100,000 but that number does not even begin to tell the tale of the disproportionate way the virus affected different parts of the United States. The overwhelming number of cases have been in the coastal states and the industrial Midwest. In short, the Blue States have recorded the highest number of virus infections and virus-related deaths than the Red States. Today we begin a series on how COVID-19 has laid bare the gap between the Blue and Red states and what it could mean for the General Elections on November 3, 2020. In case you thought The Candidate Forum forgot about reminding you to register to vote, here is it: go to usa.gov now. Thank you Read on
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| nytimes.com |
The disparity in the rates of infections and deaths has fueled deep disagreements about the dangers of the virus. The Conservative media swiftly downplayed the severity of the pandemic, dismissing as Democratic hoax designed to overthrow a duly elected president. Although the U.S.'s top public health and medical experts have warned of the dangers of easing restrictions too quickly, communities are going ahead with reopening businesses have creating piecemeal regulations, along ideological lines. Why has the virus severely affected some parts of the country than others?
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| Population density of the United States citylab.com |
The obvious answer is density. Take a look at the map on the left: The purple dots indicate the population centers. The areas with the greatest cluster of dots are the places where Democrats tend to gravitate towards. They are also the metropolitan areas with the highest infection and death rates. The areas with the fewest clusters are the areas that have been virtually untouched by the virus. "Nearly a third of Americans live in one of the 100 most densely counties in the United States--urban communities and adjacent--and it is where the the virus has taken its greatest toll with an infection rate three times as high as the rest of the nation and a death rate four times as high" (Ibid).
In a deeply divided nation, density also parallels political division: "Urban America tilts heavily blue. In the 2016 presidential election, Mr. Trump's vote share increased as population density in almost every state" (nytimes.com; May 25, 2020).
The disparities in infections has been aggravated by the direction the virus has taken as it moves across the United States, in way that may not have anything to do with density. While some cities red state America have remained untouched, the less populated have been hardest hit. Researchers have also found links between the virus's effect and age, race, and the weather, and noted that some of the densest cities globally have not been hit as hard" (nytimes.com; May 25, 2020).
One example is the difference in the number of virus-related deaths in Alabama and New Jersey. As of today, June 3, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 1,827,425 cases of COVID-19 (cdc.gov; June 3, 2020). The state of Alabama recorded 18,474 confirmed cases and 651 confirmed deaths. The state of New Jersey recorded 161, 545 cases of the virus and 11,770 virus-related deaths (Ibid). Both states have struggled with massive spikes in unemployment claims.
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| 2020 Electoral Map 270towin.com |
Ruby red Texas is the second most populous state in the U.S., and had one of the hottest ecomonies before the virus (nytimes.com; May 25, 2020). Thus far, the state's biggest cities (Dallas, Houston, and Austin) have escaped the worst virus-related damage. "More than 200 metro areas in the United States have higher infection rates than both Dallas and Houston, which may explain why Texas resident are particularly frustrated by the shutdown. Mark Henry, a Republican who manages the Galveston County government, told The Times,
The cure is worse than the disease, no doubt,... There are businesses that were shut down that are never going to open again (nytimes.com; May 25, 2020).
In the next installment, we will look at how a new outbreak factors into the divide.
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