vox--2020-11-08--Dave Chappelle’s SNL monologue was shrewd and political — but more chill than expected

Faced with the daunting task of delivering Saturday Night Live ’ s post-election opening monologue , Dave Chappelle opted for a tone atypical of his brand of comedy : muted rather than scathing .
Chappelle appeared following a lackluster but earnest cold open , which parodied the victory speech that President-elect Joe Biden gave earlier Saturday evening .
The majority of mainstream media outlets finally declared Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday afternoon after five days of seemingly endless vote-counting .
While many at-home viewers seemed to be anticipating a night of searing political comedy aimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s monologue veered away from the biting tone you might expect from the incisive , no-holds-barred comic .
Wearing a great suit and apparently smoking a cigarette onstage — in his defense , this was the kind of week where a performer of Chappelle ’ s stature could probably get away with smoking on an NBC soundstage in front of a studio audience — Chappelle ’ s set kept with his ongoing themes of calling out racist double standards in the US .
Chappelle started out the monologue by talking about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up before , most notably in his sober commentary on the death of George Floyd earlier in 2020 .
But rather than using his great-grandfather ’ s story to begin a commentary on the many racial and social issues of America today , Chappelle veered into the unexpected , pivoting to a self-deprecating joke about his current Netflix and HBO specials that set the tone for the rest of the set — and arguably for the rest of the show , which seemed determined to skew toward the calm , even apolitical end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to remind viewers , however , that ousting Trump doesn ’ t mean the country is magically safer , despite liberals ’ undoubted feelings of relief .
“ You ask what life was like before Covid , ” he noted .
“ A mass shooting every week .
Anyone remember that ?
Thank god for Covid.
” Chapelle also got in a few digs at the white working-class Trump voter — “ I don ’ t know why poor white people don ’ t like wearing masks .
What is the problem ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear it at the Walmart too.
” — as well as Trump himself , pointing out that the president took a helicopter to Walter-Reed hospital when he contracted Covid-19 even though it was just a few blocks away .
He also argued that Trump ’ s selfishness was indicative of larger problems with the way white Americans view times of crisis .
“ Don ’ t even want to wear your mask because it ’ s oppressive ?
Try wearing the mask I been wearing all these years , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this .
You don ’ t know how to survive yourselves .
Black people , we ’ re the only ones that know how to survive this .
Whites come , hurry , quick , come get your [ n-word ] lessons .
You need us .
You need our eyes to save you from yourselves.
” But if Chappelle dug his heels in on his typically trenchant humor , he delivered it with a style that felt atypically disengaged , which might explain why many of his jokes met with an ambivalent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was like when Freddie Mercury got AIDS , ” he joked at one point .
“ Nobody was like , how did he get it ?
” True .
But nobody laughed , either .
Chappelle also chastised the audience for being too woke , a theme he ’ s harped on repeatedly , and ended his monologue by suggesting that one of the other “ lessons ” that SNL ’ s presumably left-leaning audience needs to learn is one of forgiveness and reconciliation — certainly not an idea to which many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polarizing election .
Despite the inherent tension in that message , Chappelle made it sound almost like neighborly advice , well worn , rather than an admonishment .
“ I know how that feels .
I promise you , I know how that feels , ” he said .
“ Everyone knows how that feels .
But here ’ s the difference between me and you .
You guys hate each other for it .
And I don ’ t hate anybody .
I just hate that feeling .
That ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I suggest you fight through .
You got to find a way to live your life .
Got to find a way to forgive each other .
Got to find a way to find joy in your existence in spite of that feeling.
” Perhaps not the message everyone wanted to hear at the end of this election week — and not necessarily the burn that many SNL viewers wanted .
But , perhaps , it was the one we needed .

Faced with the daunting task of delivering Saturday Night Live’s post-election opening monologue, Dave Chappelle opted for a tone atypical of his brand of comedy: muted rather than scathing.
Chappelle appeared following a lackluster but earnest cold open, which parodied the victory speech that President-elect Joe Biden gave earlier Saturday evening. The majority of mainstream media outlets finally declared Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday afternoon after five days of seemingly endless vote-counting.
While many at-home viewers seemed to be anticipating a night of searing political comedy aimed at this exhausting election week, Chappelle’s monologue veered away from the biting tone you might expect from the incisive, no-holds-barred comic.
Wearing a great suit and apparently smoking a cigarette onstage — in his defense, this was the kind of week where a performer of Chappelle’s stature could probably get away with smoking on an NBC soundstage in front of a studio audience — Chappelle’s set kept with his ongoing themes of calling out racist double standards in the US.
Chappelle started out the monologue by talking about his great-grandfather, an enslaved person, who he has spoken about before, most notably in his sober commentary on the killing of George Floyd earlier in 2020. But rather than using his great-grandfather’s story to begin a commentary on the many racial and social issues facing America today, Chappelle veered into the unexpected, pivoting to a self-deprecating joke about his current Netflix and HBO specials that set the tone for the rest of the set — and arguably for the rest of the show, which seemed determined to skew toward the calm, even apolitical, end of the spectrum.
He was quick to remind viewers, however, that ousting Trump doesn’t mean the country is magically safer, despite liberals’ undoubted feelings of relief. “You ask what life was like before Covid,” Chappelle noted. “A mass shooting every week. Anyone remember that? Thank god for Covid.”
Chappelle also got in a few digs at the white, working-class Trump voter — “I don’t know why poor white people don’t like wearing masks. What is the problem? Wear masks at the Klan rally, wear it at the Walmart too.” — as well as Trump himself, pointing out the president took a helicopter ride to Walter Reed Medical Center when he contracted Covid-19, even though it was just a few blocks away.
He also argued that Trump’s selfishness was indicative of larger problems with how white Americans view times of crisis.
“Don’t even want to wear your mask because it’s oppressive? Try wearing the mask I been wearing all these years,” Chappelle said. “You’re not ready for this. You don’t know how to survive yourselves. Black people, we’re the only ones that know how to survive this. Whites, come, hurry, quick, come get your [n-word] lessons. You need us. You need our eyes to save you from yourselves.”
But if Chappelle dug his heels in on his typically trenchant humor, he delivered it with a style that felt atypically disengaged, which might explain why many of his jokes met with an ambivalent studio audience. “Trump getting coronavirus was like when Freddie Mercury got AIDS,” he joked at one point. “Nobody was like, how did he get it?” True. But nobody laughed, either.
Chappelle also chastised the audience for being too woke, a theme he’s harped on repeatedly, and ended his monologue by suggesting that another “lesson” SNL’s presumably left-leaning audience needs to learn is one of forgiveness and reconciliation — certainly not an idea to which many people are receptive in the wake of a polarizing election.
Despite the inherent tension in that message, Chappelle made it sound almost like neighborly advice, well-worn, rather than an admonishment. “I know how that feels. I promise you, I know how that feels,” he said. He continued:
Everyone knows how that feels. But here’s the difference between me and you: You guys hate each other for that, and I don’t hate anybody. I just hate that feeling. That’s what I fight through. That’s what I suggest you fight through. You’ve got a find a way to live your life. You’ve got to find a way to forgive each other. You’ve got to find a way to find joy in your existence in spite of that feeling.
Perhaps not the message everyone wanted to hear at the end of this election week, and not necessarily the burn many SNL viewers wanted. But perhaps it was the one we needed.


vox--2020-11-08--SNL’s cold open took some parting shots at Donald Trump

Saturday Night Live ’ s cold opens have not been great this season , but on November 7 — the day a number of news outlets finally declared that Joe Biden had defeated Donald Trump and won the presidential election — a mediocre opening sketch was at least a bit understandable .
After all , vote-counting fatigue set in for everyone at least three days earlier , and the real-life victory speeches it referenced had only happened hours before .
The episode started late in most markets , thanks to a long-running football game , but when it finally began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bennett ) and John King ( Alex Moffat ) announced that “ Election Week in America ” was coming to a close .
They called the race for Biden ( Jim Carrey ) , who strode onto stage with what has become Carrey ’ s signature Biden move : finger guns .
Biden had appeared to give his first public address as president-elect .
“ Whether you ’ re from a liberal state like California or a conservative state like Oklahoma , or a cracked-out , hot mess like Florida , I will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kamala Harris ( Maya Rudolph ) followed , wearing a white suit and white blouse with a pussy bow that echoed Harris ’ s real-life victory speech ensemble from earlier in the evening .
Periodically stopping for applause , she said , “ Like Joe , I am humbled and honored to be the first female , the first Black , the first Indian-American , and the first biracial vice president .
And if any of that terrifies you , well , I don ’ t give a funt.
” But of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are complete without the appearance of a clearly-over-it Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump .
This time he ostensibly showed up to give a “ concession ” speech — but after declaring victory , he stepped over to a piano .
In an echo of SNL ’ s somber post-2016 election cold open in which Kate McKinnon , playing Hillary Clinton , sang Leonard Cohen ’ s “ Hallelujah ” from a grand piano , Baldwin sang a slow version of the Village People ’ s “ Macho Man.
” Was it Baldwin-as-Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s about as likely as Trump disappearing from public consciousness .
SNL ’ s handling of the Trump administration has been alternately baffling and annoying , and whether it ’ s equipped for what comes next is far from clear .
But if the cold open felt limp , it also signalled the end of an era that SNL seems happy to stop spoofing .
Biden and Harris ’ s Ace Ventura-echoing parting taunt of Trump — “ Loser !
” — felt like it came from deep within the show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the SNL audience seemed just fine with that .

Saturday Night Live’s cold opens have not been great this season, but on November 7 — the day a number of news outlets finally declared that Joe Biden had defeated Donald Trump and won the 2020 presidential election — a mediocre opening sketch was at least a bit understandable. After all, vote-counting fatigue set in for everyone at least three days earlier, and the real-life victory speeches it referenced happened only hours before.
The episode started late in most markets due to a long-running football game, but when it finally began, Wolf Blitzer (played by Beck Bennett) and John King (Alex Moffat) announced that “Election Week in America” was coming to a close. They called the race for Biden (Jim Carrey), who strode onto the stage with what has become Carrey’s signature Biden move: finger guns.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' victory speeches. pic.twitter.com/DRnMCeoqlh — Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 8, 2020
Biden appeared to give his first public address as president-elect. “Whether you’re from a liberal state like California or a conservative state like Oklahoma, or a cracked-out, hot mess like Florida, I will be your president!” he said. Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph) followed as vice president-elect, wearing a white suit and white blouse with a pussy bow that echoed Harris’s real-life victory speech ensemble from earlier in the evening. Periodically stopping for applause, Rudolph-as-Harris said, “Like Joe, I am humbled and honored to be the first female, the first Black, the first Indian American, and the first biracial vice president. And if any of that terrifies you, well, I don’t give a funt.”
Of course, few Trump-era SNL cold opens are complete without the appearance of a clearly-over-it Alec Baldwin as a lame-duck Trump. This time, he ostensibly showed up to give a “concession” speech — but after declaring victory, he stepped over to a piano. In an echo of SNL’s somber post-2016 election cold open in which Kate McKinnon, playing Hillary Clinton, sang Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” from a grand piano, Baldwin sang a slow version of the Village People’s “Macho Man.”
Let's check in on the president's concession speech. pic.twitter.com/3If4UzQeXw — Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) November 8, 2020
Was it Baldwin-as-Trump’s last appearance on the show? That’s about as likely as Trump disappearing from public consciousness. SNL’s handling of the Trump administration has been alternately baffling and annoying, and whether it’s equipped for what comes next is far from clear. But if the cold open felt limp, it also signaled the end of an era that SNL seems happy to stop spoofing. Biden and Harris’s Ace Ventura-echoing parting taunt of Trump — “Loser!” — felt like it came from deep within the show’s psyche — and most of the SNL audience seemed just fine with that.


vox--2020-11-08--2020 House election live results

2020 House election live results

Update , November 8 , 8:50 pm : Democrats have held on to their majority , with races yet to be called that will determine the exact balance of power .
While Democrats aimed to retake the White House and the Senate on Election Day , they are also defending their US House majority in 435 congressional elections across the country .
But the vote count , as in several other races , is coming in slowly — and it could be days or weeks before we know the House ’ s exact makeup .
Democrats appear to have maintained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a slimmer majority .
Democrats won the House in the 2018 midterm elections , netting more than 40 seats to regain a sliver of power after two years of complete Republican control .
Their new majority set about passing a largely symbolic agenda meant to demonstrate how they would govern if they retook the presidency and the Senate ( with voting rights bills and legislation to lower health care costs at the top of the list ) while trying to stave off fights among party members ( Medicare-for-all never got a House vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The history books will most remember the Democratic House majority of the 116th Congress for impeaching President Donald Trump in December 2019 , over his apparent attempts to use the power of his office to solicit politically damaging information about Joe Biden before the latter won the Democratic presidential nomination .
But now , Democrats are trying to hold on to their House majority with the hopes of winning a House-Senate-president trifecta — and getting a real chance to implement their agenda .
Election forecasters considered Democrats to be heavy favorites to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But as votes come in , Democrats appear headed toward a reduced House majority , and a Senate majority looks increasingly unlikely .
Here ’ s how Vox ( and other media outlets ) will be making calls throughout the night and following days .
Vox is carrying live results , powered by our friends at Decision Desk .
You can also follow live results for the presidential election here and Senate races here .
Three key states to watch in the 2020 US House elections There are competitive House races across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats trying to win reelection in Oklahoma and Utah with Trump on the ballot to vulnerable Republicans in Arkansas and Oklahoma hoping the president can help carry them to victory .
California and New York have a lot of House seats , and therefore a good number of close races .
On the other end of that spectrum , Don Young , Alaska ’ s only at-large representative since 1973 , is facing maybe his most serious reelection challenge to date .
But a handful of presidential swing states will also play an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House .
Here is a sampling of some of the races we ’ re watching .
Texas : The Cook Political Report put seven House seats in Texas in their most competitive categories ( Lean Democrat , toss-up , or Lean Republican ) .
Democrats hoped to have a good shot to pick up at least a couple seats .
One race in the 24th District is still close , but they are few other signs of a blue wave in the state .
North Carolina : A state court ruled last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gerrymandered North Carolina ’ s congressional districts and ordered new , fairer maps to be drawn .
That put five of the state ’ s 13 districts in play , according to Cook .
Two of them were vacated by Republican incumbents after the districts were redrawn and are now considered likely Democratic pickups .
But Democrats needed a substantial wave to gain more ground , and potential pick-ups in North Carolina ’ s Eighth , Ninth , and 11th Districts were ultimately called for Republicans .
Iowa : Three of Iowa ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be competitive on election night , according to Cook , thanks to the state ’ s independent redistricting commission that aims to prevent partisan gerrymandering .
Two have been called , but the Iowa Second District seat is still a tight race as votes come in .
Correction , 6:30 pm ET : This post has been updated to accurately reflect poll closing times in Alaska and Hawaii .

Update, November 8, 8:50 pm: Democrats have held on to their majority, with races yet to be called that will determine the exact balance of power.
While Democrats aimed to retake the White House and the Senate on Election Day, they are also defending their US House majority in 435 congressional elections across the country.
But the vote count, as in several other races, is coming in slowly — and it could be days or weeks before we know the House’s exact makeup. Democrats appear to have maintained control of the chamber, but with a slimmer majority.
Democrats won the House in the 2018 midterm elections, netting more than 40 seats to regain a sliver of power after two years of complete Republican control. Their new majority set about passing a largely symbolic agenda meant to demonstrate how they would govern if they retook the presidency and the Senate (with voting rights bills and legislation to lower health care costs at the top of the list) while trying to stave off fights among party members (Medicare-for-all never got a House vote, but committee hearings were held).
The history books will most remember the Democratic House majority of the 116th Congress for impeaching President Donald Trump in December 2019, over his apparent attempts to use the power of his office to solicit politically damaging information about Joe Biden before the latter won the Democratic presidential nomination.
But now, Democrats are trying to hold on to their House majority with the hopes of winning a House-Senate-president trifecta — and getting a real chance to implement their agenda. Election forecasters considered Democrats to be heavy favorites to retain control and perhaps even gain seats. But as votes come in, Democrats appear headed toward a reduced House majority, and a Senate majority looks increasingly unlikely.
Here’s how Vox (and other media outlets) will be making calls throughout the night and following days. Vox is carrying live results, powered by our friends at Decision Desk. You can also follow live results for the presidential election here and Senate races here.
Three key states to watch in the 2020 US House elections
There are competitive House races across the country on Tuesday, from first-term Democrats trying to win reelection in Oklahoma and Utah with Trump on the ballot to vulnerable Republicans in Arkansas and Oklahoma hoping the president can help carry them to victory.
California and New York have a lot of House seats, and therefore a good number of close races. On the other end of that spectrum, Don Young, Alaska’s only at-large representative since 1973, is facing maybe his most serious reelection challenge to date.
But a handful of presidential swing states will also play an outsized role in the make-up of the House. Here is a sampling of some of the races we’re watching.
Texas: The Cook Political Report put seven House seats in Texas in their most competitive categories (Lean Democrat, toss-up, or Lean Republican). Democrats hoped to have a good shot to pick up at least a couple seats. One race in the 24th District is still close, but they are few other signs of a blue wave in the state.
North Carolina: A state court ruled last year that the Republican state legislature had unconstitutionally gerrymandered North Carolina’s congressional districts and ordered new, fairer maps to be drawn. That put five of the state’s 13 districts in play, according to Cook. Two of them were vacated by Republican incumbents after the districts were redrawn and are now considered likely Democratic pickups. But Democrats needed a substantial wave to gain more ground, and potential pick-ups in North Carolina’s Eighth, Ninth, and 11th Districts were ultimately called for Republicans.
Iowa: Three of Iowa’s four House races were expected to be competitive on election night, according to Cook, thanks to the state’s independent redistricting commission that aims to prevent partisan gerrymandering. Two have been called, but the Iowa Second District seat is still a tight race as votes come in.
Correction, 6:30 pm ET: This post has been updated to accurately reflect poll closing times in Alaska and Hawaii.


vox--2020-11-08--House Democrats will keep their majority for two more years

House Democrats will keep their majority for two more years Share All sharing options for : House Democrats will keep their majority for two more years House Democrats did not have the election they expected .
Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats will keep their majority in the House after calling races for Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Tom O ’ Halleran in Arizona , officially bringing their count to 219 seats .
Many more races have yet to be called .
Democrats faced unexpectedly stiff competition from Republican candidates in multiple districts .
Rather than expanding their majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — expected , the Democratic margin in the House appears to be shrinking after they first flipped the chamber in 2018 .
The story of the night for House Republicans was the success of Republican women candidates .
Republicans flipped back six seats as of Wednesday morning , with Democrats only flipping two open seats in North Carolina .
More races have yet to be called .
Led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Democrats were widely expected to retain control of the lower chamber of Congress after they gained the advantage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Cheri Bustos ( D-IL ) were projecting confidence going into the night , yet Bustos herself wound up in a much closer battle for reelection .
Democrats controlling at least one chamber is still an important result .
With Joe Biden formally becoming President-elect , Democrats will control the House of Representatives and the White House , but the party ’ s chances to take back the Senate come down to two uncertain runoffs in Georgia .
House Democrats saw early losses in Florida , where first-term Democratic Reps. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans after Democrats underperformed with Cuban American voters in Miami-Dade County .
In Oklahoma ’ s Fifth Congressional District , Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn lost to Republican challenger Stephanie Bice .
In New Mexico ’ s Second Congressional District , vulnerable incumbent Rep. Xochitl Torres Small lost to Republican Yvette Herrell .
And in South Carolina ’ s First Congressional District , Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham lost to Republican Nancy Mace .
And even though Democrats invested big in Texas , hoping to replicate early success in 2018 , they didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of the House in 2020 .
Democrats hung on to the two Texas seats they flipped in 2018 , but failed to pick up any additional seats .
House Democrats ’ bright spots of the night mirrored presidential trends .
Democrats flipped Georgia ’ s Seventh Congressional District from red to blue , mirroring a trend at the presidential level of Biden appearing to perform better than expected in Georgia .
Why Democrats struggled more than expected in some House races It ’ s too early to say exactly what went wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to comfortably expand their majority .
District-level internal party polling had shown Republicans with the potential to lose even more seats in 2020 .
Many Republican strategists had resigned themselves to the possibility that their House ranks could decrease .
Instead , Republicans were the ones making gains — albeit modest enough ones to stay the minority party in the House .
Cook Political Report ’ s House editor Dave Wasserman had some early thoughts on Wednesday : Just like Biden , Democratic congressional candidates suffered losses among Hispanic voters in key races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida and Texas ; they lost a couple of incumbents in Florida and didn ’ t defeat a single Republican incumbent in Texas , despite making a massive investment in the state to target 10 districts .
Republicans also learned from their losses in 2018 and recruited top-tier women candidates , who were on a winning streak .
“ After last night , Republicans are on track to more than double their current count of 13 women , ” Wasserman wrote .
The one bright spot for Democrats is that first-term women candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , largely held their own in competitive races .
After sounding the alarm for months that the political environment was closer than the polls showed , Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin ( D ) won her race on Wednesday ; races for Reps. Mikie Sherrill ( D-NJ ) , and Elaine Luria ( D-VA ) haven ’ t been called by Decision Desk yet .
These outcomes all elude a clean narrative .
It ’ s difficult to say early on how much is based on strategic error , and how much is owed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year — amid a pandemic that significantly hampered Democrats ’ ability to do basic campaigning tasks like door-knocking .
“ Prior to Tuesday , most Republican strategists were privately resigned to the prospect of a double-digit loss of seats , ” Wasserman wrote .
“ At this writing , Republicans may be on track to pick up between five and ten seats in the House , ironically about where our expectations started this cycle — but certainly not where they ended.
” Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , who easily fended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that many embattled House Democrats failed to invest enough in digital advertising .
Two years after sweeping races across the country , the party now has to figure out what went wrong for their congressional candidates in 2020 .
House Democrats may well have to contend with a Republican Senate House Democrats have spent the past two years passing bills at a rapid clip , on everything from sweeping anti-corruption reforms to lowering the cost of prescription drugs to a $ 1.5 trillion infrastructure bill .
But the vast majority of these bills @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate .
It seems likely this ambitious agenda could continue to be on ice , unless Democrats flip two Georgia Senate runoff races that will be decided in January .
One of the few bipartisan pieces of legislation Pelosi , Mitch McConnell , and President Trump were able to agree on was the $ 2.2 trillion CARES Act at the beginning of the pandemic ; a second stimulus package has been held up by partisan bickering .
McConnell recently signaled willingness to pass another stimulus package before the end of the year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for the Senate ’ s lame-duck session but was vague on concrete details .
Even on infrastructure — one of the few places where there seemed to be bipartisan agreement — getting a bill through could be elusive .
Should Democrats flip the Senate , Pelosi has provided them a road map .
But it ’ s too early to say if they will get to use it .

House Democrats will keep their majority for two more years
Share All sharing options for: House Democrats will keep their majority for two more years
House Democrats did not have the election they expected.
Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats will keep their majority in the House after calling races for Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Tom O’Halleran in Arizona, officially bringing their count to 219 seats. Many more races have yet to be called.
Democrats faced unexpectedly stiff competition from Republican candidates in multiple districts. Rather than expanding their majority as many Democrats — and nonpartisan forecasters — expected, the Democratic margin in the House appears to be shrinking after they first flipped the chamber in 2018.
The story of the night for House Republicans was the success of Republican women candidates. Republicans flipped back six seats as of Wednesday morning, with Democrats only flipping two open seats in North Carolina. More races have yet to be called.
Led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrats were widely expected to retain control of the lower chamber of Congress after they gained the advantage in the 2018 midterms. Pelosi and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Cheri Bustos (D-IL) were projecting confidence going into the night, yet Bustos herself wound up in a much closer battle for reelection.
Related 2020 House election live results
Democrats controlling at least one chamber is still an important result. With Joe Biden formally becoming president-elect, Democrats will control the House of Representatives and the White House, but the party’s chances to take back the Senate come down to two uncertain runoffs in Georgia.
House Democrats saw early losses in Florida, where first-term Democratic Reps. Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell lost to Republicans after Democrats underperformed with Cuban American voters in Miami-Dade County.
In Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn lost to Republican challenger Stephanie Bice. In New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, vulnerable incumbent Rep. Xochitl Torres Small lost to Republican Yvette Herrell. And in South Carolina’s First Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham lost to Republican Nancy Mace.
And even though Democrats invested big in Texas, hoping to replicate early success in 2018, they didn’t manage to unseat a single Texas Republican member of the House in 2020. Democrats hung on to the two Texas seats they flipped in 2018, but failed to pick up any additional seats.
House Democrats’ bright spots of the night mirrored presidential trends. Democrats flipped Georgia’s Seventh Congressional District from red to blue, mirroring a trend at the presidential level of Biden appearing to perform better than expected in Georgia.
Why Democrats struggled more than expected in some House races
It’s too early to say exactly what went wrong for House Democrats, who broadly hoped to comfortably expand their majority. District-level internal party polling had shown Republicans with the potential to lose even more seats in 2020.
Many Republican strategists had resigned themselves to the possibility that their House ranks could decrease. Instead, Republicans were the ones making gains — albeit modest enough ones to stay the minority party in the House.
Cook Political Report’s House editor Dave Wasserman had some early thoughts on Wednesday: Just like Biden, Democratic congressional candidates suffered losses among Hispanic voters in key races. Democrats had bad nights particularly in Florida and Texas; they lost a couple of incumbents in Florida and didn’t defeat a single Republican incumbent in Texas, despite making a massive investment in the state to target 10 districts.
Republicans also learned from their losses in 2018 and recruited top-tier women candidates, who were on a winning streak.
“After last night, Republicans are on track to more than double their current count of 13 women,” Wasserman wrote.
The one bright spot for Democrats is that first-term women candidates, particularly those from national security backgrounds, largely held their own in competitive races. After sounding the alarm for months that the political environment was closer than the polls showed, Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) won her race on Wednesday. She was joined by fellow Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Elaine Luria (D-VA) and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).
These outcomes all elude a clean narrative. It’s difficult to say early on how much is based on strategic error, and how much is owed to the bizarre nature of this election year — amid a pandemic that significantly hampered Democrats’ ability to do basic campaigning tasks like door-knocking.
“Prior to Tuesday, most Republican strategists were privately resigned to the prospect of a double-digit loss of seats,” Wasserman wrote. “At this writing, Republicans may be on track to pick up between five and ten seats in the House, ironically about where our expectations started this cycle — but certainly not where they ended.”
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who easily fended off her own well-funded challenger, said that many embattled House Democrats failed to invest enough in digital advertising.
Two years after sweeping races across the country, the party now has to figure out what went wrong for their congressional candidates in 2020.
House Democrats may well have to contend with a Republican Senate
House Democrats have spent the past two years passing bills at a rapid clip, on everything from sweeping anti-corruption reforms to lowering the cost of prescription drugs to a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill. But the vast majority of these bills were dead on arrival in the US Senate. It seems likely this ambitious agenda could continue to be on ice, unless Democrats flip two Georgia Senate runoff races that will be decided in January.
One of the few bipartisan pieces of legislation Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, and President Trump were able to agree on was the $2.2 trillion CARES Act at the beginning of the pandemic; a second stimulus package has been held up by partisan bickering. McConnell recently signaled willingness to pass another stimulus package before the end of the year. He called it a “top priority” for the Senate’s lame-duck session but was vague on concrete details.
Even on infrastructure — one of the few places where there seemed to be bipartisan agreement — getting a bill through could be elusive. Should Democrats flip the Senate, Pelosi has provided them a road map.
But it’s too early to say if they will get to use it.
Update: This piece was updated with recent Decision Desk calls in several key House races.


vox--2020-11-08--GOP lawmakers are refusing to acknowledge the reality that Biden won the election

A group of stubborn Republican holdouts are refusing to acknowledge the reality that President-elect Joe Biden won the election — and that he did so without any impropriety .
The race had been called for Biden by all major news networks by Saturday morning , setting off a flurry of congratulations from world leaders , and celebrations in major US cities .
The Biden campaign responded with victory speeches Saturday night , and began to to roll out its official transition website as well as Biden ’ s early executive agenda .
But a number of Republican lawmakers responded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims that the results need to be investigated , and that Biden ’ s win was due to voter fraud .
Just hours after news networks called the election for Biden , Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) promised the committee would investigate “ all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct.
” Thus far there have been no credible claims of voter fraud .
And Sunday morning , Graham sent a message to Trump on Fox News ’ Sunday Morning Futures , bringing up conspiracy theories about bad computers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t concede , Mr. President .
Fight hard.
” In an interview with ABC ’ s George Stephanopoulos , Sen. Roy Blunt ( R-MO ) refused to acknowledge that Biden is the president-elect , saying , “ It ’ s time for the president ’ s lawyers to present the facts and it ’ s time for those facts to speak for themselves.
” He went on to admit further review is unlikely to overturn the results , but said inquiries should continue to ensure “ every illegal vote was challenged , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ R-PA ) took a slightly softer approach on CBS ’ s Face the Nation , acknowledging that his home state ’ s vote count — which put Biden over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win — is “ probably correct , but there ’ s a reason that we do the count.
” But he still wouldn ’ t go as far as acknowledging that Biden won .
In contrast , North Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem , a vocal and enthusiastic supporter of the president , alleged , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was widespread voter fraud .
As Stephanopoulos noted in his discussion with the governor , secretaries of state across the US have repeatedly said there has been no widespread fraud — and when pushed to provide evidence otherwise , Noem could not .
Instead , she brought up the minor , and common , problems that election officials deal with routinely .
She too , however , refused to acknowledge the reality that Trump lost the election .
Republican congressional leaders have done little to clear up these attempts to cast doubt on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that “ every legal vote ” should be counted and “ all sides must get to observe the process , ” but has refused to elaborate or give further comment .
In the House , on the other hand , Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-CA ) has encouraged Republican efforts to undermine the election ’ s results , and suggested , without evidence , that there may have been illegal votes cast .
“ What we need in the presidential race is to make sure every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is completed , and every legal challenge should be heard , ” McCarthy told Fox ’ s Maria Bartiromo Sunday .
“ Then , and only then , America will decide who won the race.
” As Vox ’ s Jen Kirby has explained , only legal votes are being counted , and voter fraud is , in general , rare : In Oregon , which has been voting by mail for about two decades , officials referred 54 cases of possible voter fraud to law enforcement in 2016 .
Of those , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all ballots cast that year — were found guilty of having voted in two states .
Another analysis by the Washington Post and the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center found officials in Colorado , Washington , and Oregon referred 372 possible cases to law enforcement of double voting or voting on behalf of a dead person , out of about 14.6 million mail-in votes in the 2016 and 2018 general elections .
That comes out to about 0.0025 percent of all ballots .
A few Republicans have said it ’ s time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many Republicans still refuse to take a stand against the president , some did make a break from the party line and acknowledged Biden as the election winner .
Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) congratulated Biden on Saturday , and said Sunday on CNN ’ s State of the Union that “ it ’ s destructive to the cause of democracy to suggest widespread fraud or corruption .
There ’ s just no evidence of that at this stage.
” He went on to say the US needs to now “ get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Larry Hogan , who hasn ’ t been afraid of confronting the president over his handling of the pandemic , told CNN ’ s Jake Tapper that he hopes the president “ does the right thing and concedes.
” Perhaps most notable , however , was former president George W. Bush , who released a statement indicating that he had called the president-elect to congratulate Biden on his victory .
“ Though we have political differences , I know Joe Biden to be a good man , who has won his opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Bush said .
“ The President-elect reiterated that while he ran as a Democrat , he will govern for all Americans .
I offered him the same thing I offered Presidents Trump and Obama : my prayers for his success , and my pledge to help in any way I can.
” As Vox ’ s Alex Ward has explained , it does not really matter whether Trump concedes — Biden will be inaugurated , and can forcibly remove Trump from the White House at that time if need be .
Nevertheless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support the president in his efforts to disrupt trust in voting , and suggest that he is correct in claiming there is something wrong with the results — when there most certainly is not .

A group of stubborn Republican holdouts are refusing to acknowledge the reality that President-elect Joe Biden won the election — and that he did so without any impropriety.
The race had been called for Biden by all major news networks by Saturday morning, setting off a flurry of congratulations from world leaders and celebrations in major US cities. The Biden campaign responded with victory speeches Saturday night, and began to to roll out its official transition website as well as Biden’s early executive agenda.
But a number of Republican lawmakers responded by echoing President Donald Trump’s incorrect claims that the results need to be investigated, and that Biden’s win was due to voter fraud.
Just hours after news networks called the election for Biden, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) promised the committee would investigate “all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct.” Thus far, there have been no credible claims of voter fraud.
And Sunday morning, Graham sent a message to Trump on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures, bringing up conspiracy theories about bad computers and saying, “Don’t concede, Mr. President. Fight hard.”
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) refused to acknowledge that Biden is the president-elect, saying, “It’s time for the president’s lawyers to present the facts and it’s time for those facts to speak for themselves.” He went on to admit further review is unlikely to overturn the results, but said inquiries should continue to ensure “every illegal vote was challenged, and not counted.”
.@GStephanopoulos: “Joe Biden has won this election. Why can’t you acknowledge it?”
“It’s time for the president’s lawyers to present the facts and it’s time for those facts to speak for themselves,” GOP Sen. Blunt says as Trump pushes unfounded claims. https://t.co/aN8iz2wqRa pic.twitter.com/NuH62qaJCP — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 8, 2020
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) took a slightly softer approach on CBS’s Face the Nation, acknowledging that his home state’s vote count — which put Biden over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win — is “probably correct, but there’s a reason that we do the count.” But he still wouldn’t go as far as acknowledging that Biden won.
In contrast, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a vocal and enthusiastic supporter of the president, alleged, as the president has, that there was widespread voter fraud. As Stephanopoulos noted in his discussion with the governor, secretaries of state across the US have repeatedly said there has been no widespread fraud — and when pushed to provide evidence otherwise, Noem could not. Instead, she brought up the minor, and common, problems that election officials deal with routinely. She too, however, refused to acknowledge the reality that Trump lost the election.
Pressed by @GStephanopoulos on whether she has any evidence to support Pres. Trump’s election claims, GOP North Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem does not provide any evidence, but also refuses to acknowledge that Joe Biden as the apparent winner of the presidency. https://t.co/RxWyF4Jwuf pic.twitter.com/VMNUeml0On — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 8, 2020
Republican congressional leaders have done little to clear up these attempts to cast doubt on the election’s results. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that “every legal vote” should be counted and “all sides must get to observe the process,” but has refused to elaborate or give further comment.
In the House, on the other hand, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has encouraged Republican efforts to undermine the election’s results, and suggested, without evidence, that there may have been illegal votes cast.
“What we need in the presidential race is to make sure every legal vote is counted, every recount is completed, and every legal challenge should be heard,” McCarthy told Fox’s Maria Bartiromo Sunday. “Then, and only then, America will decide who won the race.”
As Vox’s Jen Kirby has explained, only legal votes are being counted, and voter fraud is, in general, rare:
In Oregon, which has been voting by mail for about two decades, officials referred 54 cases of possible voter fraud to law enforcement in 2016. Of those, 22 people — representing just 0.0001 percent of all ballots cast that year — were found guilty of having voted in two states. Another analysis by the Washington Post and the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center found officials in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon referred 372 possible cases to law enforcement of double voting or voting on behalf of a dead person, out of about 14.6 million mail-in votes in the 2016 and 2018 general elections. That comes out to about 0.0025 percent of all ballots.
A few Republicans have said it’s time to accept Biden’s victory
While many Republicans still refuse to take a stand against the president, some did make a break from the party line and acknowledged Biden as the election winner.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) congratulated Biden on Saturday, and said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union that “it’s destructive to the cause of democracy to suggest widespread fraud or corruption. There’s just no evidence of that at this stage.” He went on to say the US needs to now “get behind the new president.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who hasn’t been afraid of confronting the president over his handling of the pandemic, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he hopes the president “does the right thing and concedes.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said he hopes that President Trump will “do the right thing in the end” and concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden. https://t.co/X8huDffAHh #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/i1AxNHPg9P — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) November 8, 2020
Perhaps most notable, however, was former President George W. Bush, who released a statement indicating that he had called the president-elect to congratulate Biden on his victory.
“Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country,” Bush said. “The President-elect reiterated that while he ran as a Democrat, he will govern for all Americans. I offered him the same thing I offered Presidents Trump and Obama: my prayers for his success, and my pledge to help in any way I can.”
As Vox’s Alex Ward has explained, it does not really matter whether Trump concedes — Biden will be inaugurated and can forcibly remove Trump from the White House at that time if need be. Nevertheless, it remains distressing that Republicans would support the president in his efforts to disrupt trust in voting, and suggest that he is correct in claiming there is something wrong with the results when there most certainly is not.
Correction, November 9: An earlier version of this article misstated the state where Kristi Noem serves as governor. It is South Dakota.


vox--2020-11-08--There have now been 50 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide

Share All sharing options for : There have now been 50 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 worldwide Last New Year ’ s Eve , a hint of what the world might be in for in 2020 arrived in the form of an Associated Press story about 27 people in Wuhan , China , who had fallen ill with a mysterious strain of viral pneumonia .
This was the first news of the new illness reported outside of China .
Less than 11 months later , 50 million people worldwide are confirmed to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 1,250,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported .
It ’ s a grim milestone , one that reflects the coronavirus ’ s contagiousness as well as a global failure to contain its spread .
Ten highly populated countries account for about two-thirds of confirmed coronavirus tests since the pandemic began , including the United States , Brazil , and Russia .
And the high case counts are not just because they have more people than the average country , though a lack of testing in some regions makes direct comparisons more difficult .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and further than ever detected before , with new case records being set regularly in Europe and North America .
As Vox ’ s Julia Belluz reported , European hospitals are once again filling up .
The continent ’ s leaders are reimplementing strict social distancing rules , with curfews and other restrictions imposed in Spain , Italy , and other countries .
More sweeping lockdowns have been ordered in some places , including France , Greece , the Czech Republic , and parts of the UK .
The spread is more under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as much of East Asia and Africa .
India and parts of the Middle East , however , have also seen wide disease spread .
And the US has driven up the world ’ s new case numbers in the past few weeks , due in no small part to a lack of national leadership and a reluctance to implement well-established public health measures like testing , contact tracing , and wearing masks .
How the US became the world ’ s worst failure in containing Covid-19 The US has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any country in the world — almost 10 million confirmed cases and more than 237,000 confirmed deaths as of November 8 , according to Johns Hopkins University ’ s tracker .
Controlling for population , the United States still has one of the worst outbreaks anywhere .
The actual numbers , both globally and in the US , could well be a lot higher , said Eric Toner , a senior scientist at Johns Hopkins ’ s Bloomberg School of Public Health .
“ The 50 million cases globally , we know is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 10 to 20 , ” Toner said .
“ There are many , many more people who have been infected than those confirmed cases .
Same thing is true for deaths .
So we don ’ t really know how bad it has been , but it ’ s certainly the worst thing we ’ ve seen in 100 years.
” President Donald Trump was briefed on the coronavirus beginning in January , but he has continued to downplay the virus ’ s threat throughout the pandemic .
On February 10 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president claimed the virus would “ miraculously go away.
” But three days before , he had already privately told journalist Bob Woodward that Covid-19 was more deadly than the flu .
“ What we ’ ve seen is the absolute failure of effective emergency health communication , which has basic principles that are straightforward , ” says Dr. Tom Frieden , who led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) under President Barack Obama .
“ Be first , be right , be credible , give people practical , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government completely failed on all of those components.
” Trump named Vice President Mike Pence to lead the government ’ s coronavirus response on February 27 .
On March 11 — the same day the sports world began to shut down and many schools announced plans for remote learning — the president announced travel restrictions from Europe , after restrictions on travel from China the previous month .
Experts disagree on how effective travel restrictions from Europe and China were , especially because by March the virus was already spreading quickly in areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and California .
Moreover , Trump did little with the time that travel restrictions may have bought , ignoring the federal government ’ s botched development and rollout of coronavirus testing .
It took until March 16 for Trump to introduce social distancing guidelines , and on March 19 , he admitted to Woodward that he was purposely downplaying the virus to avoid “ creating a panic.
” He also acknowledged that younger people were susceptible to Covid-19 as well .
Trump has admitted publicly he has pressured officials to “ slow down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases to set back reopening of the country .
Equivocation around mask-wearing has been one of his most notable other failures in the pandemic response .
In early April , the CDC along with the country ’ s top infectious disease expert , Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , recommended that Americans wear masks “ in public settings when around people outside their household , especially when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
” Trump , however , wore a mask in public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and repeatedly mocked his Democratic opponent in the 2020 election , Joe Biden , for wearing one .
“ The general measures are wear a mask , watch your distance , and wash your hands , as well as strategic closures , ” Frieden said .
“ You have to call on people ’ s collective sense of responsibility , that we ’ re all in this together .
The lack of recognition that we ’ re all connected , and the lack of acting on that recognition , has been very problematic.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask mandates or close down nonessential businesses again when cases rose did not help matters , although a lack of federal aid may have played a role in those decisions .
Now , the US is in its third — and worst — wave of surging infections , this time across nearly every region .
On November 5 , the country set a new single-day record with more than 120,000 new cases reported .
As Vox ’ s German Lopez explained , those rising numbers are “ partly due to more testing exposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t be the full explanation , because hospitalizations and the overall rate of positive tests are trending up.
” It doesn ’ t have to stay this way — but it probably will : How the rest of the world has handled the virus Other than the US , Europe and Latin America have struggled the most to contain Covid-19 .
Italy and Spain had the biggest outbreaks to be initially detected in Europe .
Italy had just 566 new daily confirmed cases on March 1 , but that number rose to more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strict lockdown successfully contained the disease , but it came back with a vengeance in the fall .
This time , it was Spain that first showed the alarming resurgence on the continent .
The country had followed a similar trajectory , with an initial spike in March and a lockdown that almost totally suppressed the virus .
As Spain reopened , however , social distancing rules and enforcement were lax in some areas , and the disease burden shifted more toward younger people with generally less severe cases .
At the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread — test , trace , and isolate — were underutilized by a public health system that had deteriorated with a decade of fiscal austerity .
Cases began to spike again in July , and some more drastic restrictions such as closing restaurants and bars in Catalonia did not come until October .
Spain now has more than 20,000 confirmed cases per day , and continues to record some of the highest numbers of new cases per million people on the continent .
Meanwhile , some European countries were slow to react to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures of their own .
As Julia Belluz explained in September , France soon went down the same path as Spain : As outbreaks have spread across the continent again , several countries have returned to full or partial lockdowns to combat the new surge , including the United Kingdom , France , Germany , Ireland , the Netherlands , and the Czech Republic .
Before Europe ’ s coronavirus resurgence , South America ’ s outbreaks had begun to spiral out of control , and the hardest-hit has been Brazil .
President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far-right populist and a Trump ally , has waved off the virus in much the same way as Trump .
He ignored a growing outbreak in the Amazon region in the spring , and touted hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for Covid-19 despite a lack of evidence that it helps at all .
His government continues to endorse questionable treatments for the virus .
Bolsonaro himself tested positive for the virus in July .
He has opposed mask mandates and social distancing measures , and sought to reopen the economy almost as soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Brazil has had by far the most confirmed cases in Latin America , with nearly 5.6 million , though new cases are on a downward trend .
Other countries in the region have been hit hard , too : Argentina and Colombia each have more than a million cases , and Peru will likely join them soon .
Central America has seen wide disease spread in some countries as well , and Mexico in particular has been criticized for insufficient testing to accurately determine the scope of community transmission .
Other regions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ containing the spread , including Africa , despite dire predictions early on about potential spread on the continent .
Africa is home to 17 percent of the world ’ s population but accounted for just 3.5 percent of reported Covid-19 deaths , as of early October .
Africa has a younger population compared to other continents , and Covid-19 is most severe in older people .
But that ’ s likely not the only reason behind the relatively fewer confirmed deaths and cases : Many African countries , including Kenya and Lesotho , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing measures .
And the experience of countries on the continent with previous epidemics may have helped officials and the public prepare better for this one .
Parts of Asia have also fared well .
China , where the virus originated , initially sought to hide information about the virus .
But officials soon changed course , locking down cities and ordering widespread testing .
The country — of more than 1.4 billion people — still has fewer than 100,000 confirmed cases , according to Johns Hopkins data .
South Korea quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and New Zealand — it helps being islands — have been among the best in the world at suppressing the virus .
The reasons behind disease spread are complicated , and not every country ’ s situation can be easily compared .
But these seem to be key factors in stemming the tide of an outbreak : Quick action , clear health guidance , public trust , robust testing and surveillance systems , and thorough contact tracing .
Many countries in the Pacific have managed all of these .
“ Certainly , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to South Korea , to Japan , ” Toner said .
“ But also places like Vietnam have done a very good job .
Certainly , Australia and New Zealand have been great examples .
They ’ ve done a really good job with messaging and containment .
”

Last New Year’s Eve, a hint of what the world might be in for in 2020 arrived in the form of an Associated Press story about 27 people in Wuhan, China, who had fallen ill with a mysterious strain of viral pneumonia. This was the first news of the new illness reported outside of China.
Less than 11 months later, 50 million people worldwide are confirmed to have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the Covid-19 disease. And more than 1,250,000 Covid-19 deaths have been reported.
It’s a grim milestone, one that reflects the coronavirus’s contagiousness as well as a global failure to contain its spread.
Ten highly populated countries account for about two-thirds of confirmed coronavirus tests since the pandemic began, including the United States, Brazil, and Russia. And the high case counts are not just because they have more people than the average country, though a lack of testing in some regions makes direct comparisons more difficult.
But the virus is now spreading faster and further than ever detected before, with new case records being set regularly in Europe and North America. As Vox’s Julia Belluz reported, European hospitals are once again filling up. The continent’s leaders are reimplementing strict social distancing rules, with curfews and other restrictions imposed in Spain, Italy, and other countries. More sweeping lockdowns have been ordered in some places, including France, Greece, the Czech Republic, and parts of the UK.
The spread is more under control in Australia and New Zealand, as well as much of East Asia and Africa. India and parts of the Middle East, however, have also seen wide disease spread.
And the US has driven up the world’s new case numbers in the past few weeks, due in no small part to a lack of national leadership and a reluctance to implement well-established public health measures like testing, contact tracing, and wearing masks.
How the US became the world’s worst failure in containing Covid-19
The US has the most reported Covid-19 cases and deaths of any country in the world — more than 10 million confirmed cases and more than 237,000 confirmed deaths as of November 9, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tracker. Controlling for population, the United States still has one of the worst outbreaks anywhere.
The actual numbers, both globally and in the US, could well be a lot higher, said Eric Toner, a senior scientist at Johns Hopkins’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“The 50 million cases globally, we know is an underestimate, probably by a factor of 10 to 20,” Toner said. “There are many, many more people who have been infected than those confirmed cases. Same thing is true for deaths. So we don’t really know how bad it has been, but it’s certainly the worst thing we’ve seen in 100 years.”
President Donald Trump was briefed on the coronavirus beginning in January, but he has continued to downplay the virus’s threat throughout the pandemic.
On February 10, while campaigning in New Hampshire, the president claimed the virus would “miraculously go away.” But three days before, he had already privately told journalist Bob Woodward that Covid-19 was more deadly than the flu.
“What we’ve seen is the absolute failure of effective emergency health communication, which has basic principles that are straightforward,” says Dr. Tom Frieden, who led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under President Barack Obama. “Be first, be right, be credible, give people practical, proven things to do. The US government completely failed on all of those components.”
Trump named Vice President Mike Pence to lead the government’s coronavirus response on February 27. On March 11 — the same day the sports world began to shut down and many schools announced plans for remote learning — the president announced travel restrictions from Europe, after restrictions on travel from China the previous month.
Experts disagree on how effective travel restrictions from Europe and China were, especially because by March the virus was already spreading quickly in areas including New York, Washington state, and California. Moreover, Trump did little with the time that travel restrictions may have bought, ignoring the federal government’s botched development and rollout of coronavirus testing.
It took until March 16 for Trump to introduce social distancing guidelines, and on March 19, he admitted to Woodward that he was purposely downplaying the virus to avoid “creating a panic.” He also acknowledged that younger people were susceptible to Covid-19 as well.
Related A detailed timeline of all the ways Trump failed to respond to the coronavirus
Trump has admitted publicly he has pressured officials to “slow down” testing, not wanting revealed Covid-19 cases to set back reopening of the country.
Equivocation around mask-wearing has been one of his most notable other failures in the pandemic response. In early April, the CDC along with the country’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recommended that Americans wear masks “in public settings when around people outside their household, especially when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
Trump, however, wore a mask in public for the first time in mid-July, and repeatedly mocked his Democratic opponent in the 2020 election, Joe Biden, for wearing one.
“The general measures are wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands, as well as strategic closures,” Frieden said. “You have to call on people’s collective sense of responsibility, that we’re all in this together. The lack of recognition that we’re all connected, and the lack of acting on that recognition, has been very problematic.”
States that were reluctant to issue mask mandates or close down nonessential businesses again when cases rose did not help matters, although a lack of federal aid may have played a role in those decisions.
Now, the US is in its third — and worst — wave of surging infections, this time across nearly every region. On November 5, the country set a new single-day record with more than 120,000 new cases reported.
As Vox’s German Lopez explained, those rising numbers are “partly due to more testing exposing more cases. But that can’t be the full explanation, because hospitalizations and the overall rate of positive tests are trending up.” It doesn’t have to stay this way — but it probably will:
Cities, counties, states, and the federal government — or, short of all that, the public — could take social distancing seriously again. Governments could mandate masks, and the public could opt to wear them without a mandate. Bars and restaurants could close, voluntarily or not. Places that do open, such as schools, could try to adopt aggressive testing-and-tracing regimes to try to keep the coronavirus under some control. Without that, America’s coronavirus epidemic will keep getting worse.
How the rest of the world has handled the virus
Other than the US, Europe and Latin America have struggled the most to contain Covid-19. Italy and Spain had the biggest outbreaks to be initially detected in Europe. Italy had just 566 new daily confirmed cases on March 1, but that number rose to more than 6,000 by March 26. A strict lockdown successfully contained the disease, but it came back with a vengeance in the fall.
This time, it was Spain that first showed the alarming resurgence on the continent. The country had followed a similar trajectory, with an initial spike in March and a lockdown that almost totally suppressed the virus.
As Spain reopened, however, social distancing rules and enforcement were lax in some areas, and the disease burden shifted more toward younger people with generally less severe cases. At the same time, the keys to controlling epidemic spread — test, trace, and isolate — were underutilized by a public health system that had deteriorated with a decade of fiscal austerity. Cases began to spike again in July, and some more drastic restrictions such as closing restaurants and bars in Catalonia did not come until October.
Spain now has more than 20,000 confirmed cases per day, and continues to record some of the highest numbers of new cases per million people on the continent.
Meanwhile, some European countries were slow to react to Spain’s case surge and impose measures of their own.
As Julia Belluz explained in September, France soon went down the same path as Spain:
In July, cases started increasing in a way that couldn’t be explained by testing alone — albeit slowly, doubling every two weeks instead of every 3.5 days, like in March. A rise in hospitalizations didn’t follow immediately. It’s become clear that was because younger people were catching the virus. By mid-August, “the virus started to affect older people, and then a few weeks later, hospitalizations have started to increase,” said [Edouard Mathieu, the Paris-based data manager of Oxford University’s Our World in Data project]. By September 10, the French public health ministry reported that new Covid-19 hospitalizations were growing in all but one region of the country.
As outbreaks have spread across the continent again, several countries have returned to full or partial lockdowns to combat the new surge, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
Before Europe’s coronavirus resurgence, South America’s outbreaks had begun to spiral out of control, and the hardest-hit has been Brazil. President Jair Bolsonaro, the country’s far-right populist and a Trump ally, has waved off the virus in much the same way as Trump. He ignored a growing outbreak in the Amazon region in the spring, and touted hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment for Covid-19 despite a lack of evidence that it helps at all. His government continues to endorse questionable treatments for the virus.
Bolsonaro himself tested positive for the virus in July. He has opposed mask mandates and social distancing measures, and sought to reopen the economy almost as soon as regional restrictions were imposed in March.
Brazil has had by far the most confirmed cases in Latin America, with nearly 5.6 million, though new cases are on a downward trend. Other countries in the region have been hit hard, too: Argentina and Colombia each have more than a million cases, and Peru will likely join them soon. Central America has seen wide disease spread in some countries as well, and Mexico in particular has been criticized for insufficient testing to accurately determine the scope of community transmission.
Other regions have so far done a better job containing the spread, including Africa, despite dire predictions early on about potential spread on the continent. Africa is home to 17 percent of the world’s population but accounted for just 3.5 percent of reported Covid-19 deaths, as of early October. Africa has a younger population compared to other continents, and Covid-19 is most severe in older people.
But that’s likely not the only reason behind the relatively fewer confirmed deaths and cases: Many African countries, including Kenya and Lesotho, acted quickly in issuing health guidance and social distancing measures. And the experience of countries on the continent with previous epidemics may have helped officials and the public prepare better for this one.
Around the world, the places that have struggled most in controlling the virus are those with the least social cohesion. Fighting Covid requires a common understanding that we’re all in this together. — Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) November 6, 2020
Parts of Asia have also fared well. China, where the virus originated, initially sought to hide information about the virus. But officials soon changed course, locking down cities and ordering widespread testing. The country — of more than 1.4 billion people — still has fewer than 100,000 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.
South Korea quickly contained an early outbreak. And Australia and New Zealand — it helps being islands — have been among the best in the world at suppressing the virus.
The reasons behind disease spread are complicated, and not every country’s situation can be easily compared.
But these seem to be key factors in stemming the tide of an outbreak: Quick action, clear health guidance, public trust, robust testing and surveillance systems, and thorough contact tracing. Many countries in the Pacific have managed all of these.
“Certainly, we can point to Taiwan, to Singapore, to South Korea, to Japan,” Toner said. “But also places like Vietnam have done a very good job. Certainly, Australia and New Zealand have been great examples. They’ve done a really good job with messaging and containment.”


vox--2020-11-08--Joe Biden has won. Here’s what comes next.

Joe Biden — a former two-term vice president under Barack Obama and 36-year Senate veteran — will be the 46th president of the United States .
His running mate , California Sen. Kamala Harris , will become the first woman , first African American , and first Indian American to serve as vice president .
The Democratic nominee is the projected winner in enough states to win 270 electoral votes .
The state of Pennsylvania , which Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 , was called by our partners at Decision Desk for Biden just before 9 am ET on November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tightly contested vote that drew historic turnout .
On November 7 , other decision desks , including those at the Associated Press and many television networks , followed .
( For more on how Decision Desk and other outlets call elections , read our explainer here . )
The victory may come as a massive relief to Biden ’ s supporters after an anxiety-ridden few days during which a record amount of mail-in ballots were tallied .
It could also serve as a promise — though certainly not a guarantee — that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might finally be coming to an end .
Trump , for his part , has signaled he may not go quietly , calling into question the legitimacy of the late-counted votes that arrived by mail in the states that clinched it for Biden .
For Biden and Harris , the victory marks the end of the campaign — but the beginning of an even more daunting challenge .
Biden , who enters the White House as both the chief executive with the most experience in public service in US history and the oldest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take on his duties amid a historic crisis , a pandemic that has already claimed more American lives than World War I , the Korean War , and the Vietnam War combined , and has produced the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression .
And Biden and Harris may have to take power with a Republican Senate .
As of this writing , the small chance of a Democratic Senate hinges on runoff elections in Georgia in January and uncalled races in North Carolina and Alaska .
A slight majority for Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take the upper house — even if they hang on to the House of Representatives as expected — could effectively end Biden ’ s agenda before it has a chance to take form .
Biden won the presidency by partially rebuilding the so-called “ blue wall ” for Democrats — the industrial Midwestern states of Michigan , Wisconsin , and Pennsylvania .
He also planted a Democratic flag in the Sunbelt , with Arizona , Georgia , and North Carolina all still in play .
Biden currently leads in Arizona and Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with tight margins in all three states .
In Georgia , the margin is so thin — less than half a percent — that state election officials have already announced they will hold a recount .
As of November 8 , Biden had amassed 75.3 million votes to Trump ’ s 71 million — a spread of 50.5 percent to 47.7 percent — and can lay claim to the record for most votes in US history .
As the scale of the pandemic and its economic damage started becoming clear earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the candidate wanted an “ FDR-sized ” administration .
He touted a plan to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic by expanding testing , fostering better coordination between states , and organizing rapid development and deployment of a vaccine .
He put forward a program to fight the economic crisis created by Covid-19 , including funding for states and localities , cash and unemployment insurance for individuals and households , and grants and loans to small businesses like bars and restaurants .
All that seems fairly doable under unified Democratic control — but much , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate .
In 2009 , McConnell decided that a posture of absolute obstruction , to block any and all Obama legislation meant to rescue or reform the economy , was the best approach for Senate Republicans .
At that time , his Republicans were in the minority , so total obstruction was harder .
This time , he may have a Senate majority — and he is likely to take that posture again .
Without the Senate , Biden ’ s ability to enact his agenda will be severely constrained , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take to move the ball on a few fronts .
He will have a little more latitude in foreign affairs , where he ’ ll seek to undo Trump ’ s reversal of the Obama-Biden foreign policy by re-engaging with Cuba and Iran , negotiating a new arms control deal with Russia , and addressing the threat North Korea poses to South Korea and Japan .
Biden will also have to decide how to handle the legacy of his predecessor : whether to let bygones be bygones , as was the Obama-Biden attitude @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seek to prosecute , or at least investigate wrongdoing from the Trump years under a new attorney general .
All these questions will have to wait until we know the outcome in the Senate .
For now , at least , Democrats can celebrate winning the presidency .
Trump ’ s defeat comes as an enormous relief to the majority who voted against Trump four years ago , to those harmed by his policies , from forced family separation to the botched Covid-19 response , and to the many who worried Trump harbored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who elected Biden , it feels like the ending of a dark chapter in the nation ’ s history , and potentially the beginning of a moment of great opportunity .
But for that opportunity to be fulfilled , Biden and Harris will need to work fast — and we won ’ t know if they ’ ll be able to do that until we know the results in the Senate .
At stake is an agenda that rivals any previous Democratic president ’ s program .
Biden ’ s plan to respond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Build Back Better.
” It doesn ’ t have quite the same ring as “ New Deal ” or “ Great Society , ” but it captures what Biden is aiming to do : rebuild from the wreckage left by the Trump administration ’ s failure to contain the virus and willingness to let it spread to almost 10 million cases and over 237,000 deaths in the US , as of November 8 .
That failure has led to the highest unemployment since the Great Depression ( 14.7 percent in April ; 7.9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Meanwhile , as the pandemic raged , the Trump administration responded to protests for racial equality in about the worst and most divisive way imaginable .
The Biden-Harris victory is an enormous relief to the majority who voted against Trump four years ago That ’ s the baseline , and the Biden-Harris team has committed to massive spending programs , both on Covid-19 and other challenges like climate and caregiving , to rebuild from it .
To tackle Covid-19 , Biden has promised nationwide testing , a 100,000-person Public Health Jobs Corps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive vaccine stockpiles produced ahead of approval for the speediest deployment , and much more .
On the economy , Biden is proposing a bevy of plans that collectively amount to the most ambitious agenda for a Democratic candidate in decades .
The plans are oriented in particular around rebuilding ( green ) manufacturing in the US , building on the safety net expansions made by Obama , and dramatically expanding access to child , disabled , and elder care services .
His economic recovery plan to address the Covid-19 downturn would pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , offer middle-class parents and caretakers $ 8,000 a year for child or long-term care support , spend $ 700 billion on manufacturing and R & D to expand jobs in those sectors , and make it easier to organize unions .
His climate plan features $ 2 trillion in investments in clean energy and a clean electricity standard mandating that electricity production in the US not produce any carbon by the year 2035 .
But even if Democrats end up taking the Senate , the path ahead for the Biden-Harris agenda remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority led by Mitch McConnell would likely repeat McConnell ’ s 2009-2011 strategy of attempting to block every one of the new Democratic administration ’ s initiatives .
That strategy meant the Obama-Biden administration and its allies in Congress were forced to compromise on elements of financial reform , abandon a public option for health care , and dramatically shrink a major stimulus package , prolonging the Great Recession as a consequence .
To prevent repeating that fate , Biden and a hypothetical Democratic Senate majority would have to abolish the filibuster , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Majority Leader Harry Reid have strongly urged .
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has been very clear that abolishing the filibuster is “ on the table ” in the new Congress .
Biden will also have to deal with a hostile Supreme Court , especially now that Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Things look even worse for Biden if Republicans keep the Senate .
Much of his agenda is likely to be dead on arrival .
In that case , Biden will have to decide how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like the ability to force a government shutdown , to pressure McConnell , and he will have to decide which issues he will use that pressure to push .
Biden will also lean on his reputation as a moderate , bipartisan dealmaker to get things out of Congress .
When I spoke to Biden economic adviser Benjamin Harris , he explained that Biden plans to leverage his relationships in the Senate to pass his agenda with bipartisan support .
“ I ’ ve spent a lot of time in the vice president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president .
I sat there when he called Democratic members , and I sat there when he called Republican members , ” Harris recalled .
“ That ’ s what happens when you spend so many decades in the Senate is you build these friendships and you build these relationships and you build this credibility.
” In that scenario , McConnell will also have to decide just how obstructionist his Senate GOP caucus can be without incurring public blame for inaction .
Given the narrow margin , and the fact that 21 Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for election in 2022 , Senate Republicans will also need to put together a defensible record of governance if they hold the body .
Bringing the curtain down on the Trump presidency Joe Biden has won the presidency , but it ’ s far from clear if he will be able to form a government , in the sense of commanding enough legislative votes to regularly pass budgets and other essential legislation .
He will likely also face Senate obstruction with his picks for key Cabinet positions necessary to run the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in most rich countries , which typically use a parliamentary system where a failure to assemble a governing coalition triggers new elections .
In America , however , over the past 30 years , the same party has controlled the House , Senate , and presidency only one-third of the time .
This dysfunctional system gets defended as Americans wisely preferring divided government ( only a small minority of Americans actually do ) .
But our system has tremendous costs .
It brought the US to the brink of default in 2011 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the capacity to simply enact their agendas .
While the parties were able , remarkably , to come together and pass a massive stimulus in March , they ’ ve failed to renew it since August , at immense human cost .
Both parties have plans , but a divided government has meant none of them get passed .
If Biden and McConnell are forced to negotiate the next stimulus package , a similar stalemate might ensue .
But that ’ s all still ahead of us .
For now , Americans can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interminable campaign — and a presidency that a majority of the country has rejected .
The last four years have been consequential for the lives of Americans , from policy changes in the normal range of Republican presidencies ( like Trump moving the Supreme Court markedly rightward and curtailing environmental and public safety regulations ) to ones well outside it ( like Trump ’ s enormous crackdown on legal immigration and his failed pandemic response ) .
The public has also endured truly unprecedented levels of executive branch corruption and arguably criminality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden ’ s victory is America ’ s first step away from those changes and the crew who made them .
But it ’ s only a first step .
It won ’ t instantly clean up the wreckage of the Trump administration , let alone the problems that enabled Trump to win and thrive in the first place .
And the scale of his achievement will depend entirely on the Senate outcome in a handful of states .
Biden and Harris supporters are entitled to celebrate .
Americans traumatized by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief .
Then it ’ s time for them , and the new president , to get to work .

Joe Biden — a former two-term vice president under Barack Obama and 36-year Senate veteran — will be the 46th president of the United States. His running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, will become the first woman, first African American, and first Indian American to serve as vice president.
The Democratic nominee is the projected winner in enough states to win 270 electoral votes. The state of Pennsylvania, which Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, was called by our partners at Decision Desk for Biden just before 9 am ET on November 6, clinching the electoral win in a tightly contested vote that drew historic turnout. On November 7, other decision desks, including those at the Associated Press and many television networks, followed. (For more on how Decision Desk and other outlets call elections, read our explainer here.)
The victory may come as a massive relief to Biden’s supporters after an anxiety-ridden few days during which a record amount of mail-in ballots were tallied. It could also serve as a promise — though certainly not a guarantee — that the high-octane drama of the Trump years might finally be coming to an end.
Trump, for his part, has signaled he may not go quietly, calling into question the legitimacy of the late-counted votes that arrived by mail in the states that clinched it for Biden.
Related Kamala Harris makes history as the first woman to become vice president
For Biden and Harris, the victory marks the end of the campaign — but the beginning of an even more daunting challenge. Biden, who enters the White House as both the chief executive with the most experience in public service in US history and the oldest man to assume the presidency, will take on his duties amid a historic crisis, a pandemic that has already claimed more American lives than World War I, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined, and has produced the highest unemployment rates since the Great Depression.
And Biden and Harris may have to take power with a Republican Senate. As of this writing, the small chance of a Democratic Senate hinges on runoff elections in Georgia in January and uncalled races in North Carolina and Alaska. A slight majority for Republicans is very likely. A Democratic failure to take the upper house — even if they hang on to the House of Representatives as expected — could effectively end Biden’s agenda before it has a chance to take form.
Biden won the presidency by partially rebuilding the so-called “blue wall” for Democrats — the industrial Midwestern states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. He also planted a Democratic flag in the Sunbelt, with Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina all still in play. Biden currently leads in Arizona and Georgia, but is behind in North Carolina, with tight margins in all three states. In Georgia, the margin is so thin — less than half a percent — that state election officials have already announced they will hold a recount. As of November 8, Biden had amassed 75.3 million votes to Trump’s 71 million — a spread of 50.5 percent to 47.7 percent — and can lay claim to the record for most votes in US history.
As the scale of the pandemic and its economic damage started becoming clear earlier this year, the Biden campaign signaled that the candidate wanted an “FDR-sized” administration. He touted a plan to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic by expanding testing, fostering better coordination between states, and organizing rapid development and deployment of a vaccine. He put forward a program to fight the economic crisis created by Covid-19, including funding for states and localities, cash and unemployment insurance for individuals and households, and grants and loans to small businesses like bars and restaurants.
All that seems fairly doable under unified Democratic control — but much, much harder if Sen. Mitch McConnell keeps the Senate. In 2009, McConnell decided that a posture of absolute obstruction, to block any and all Obama legislation meant to rescue or reform the economy, was the best approach for Senate Republicans. At that time, his Republicans were in the minority, so total obstruction was harder. This time, he may have a Senate majority — and he is likely to take that posture again.
Without the Senate, Biden’s ability to enact his agenda will be severely constrained, even if there are executive actions he can take to move the ball on a few fronts. He will have a little more latitude in foreign affairs, where he’ll seek to undo Trump’s reversal of the Obama-Biden foreign policy by re-engaging with Cuba and Iran, negotiating a new arms control deal with Russia, and addressing the threat North Korea poses to South Korea and Japan.
Biden will also have to decide how to handle the legacy of his predecessor: whether to let bygones be bygones, as was the Obama-Biden attitude toward George W. Bush, or to seek to prosecute, or at least investigate wrongdoing from the Trump years under a new attorney general.
All these questions will have to wait until we know the outcome in the Senate. For now, at least, Democrats can celebrate winning the presidency.
Trump’s defeat comes as an enormous relief to the majority who voted against Trump four years ago, to those harmed by his policies, from forced family separation to the botched Covid-19 response, and to the many who worried Trump harbored dangerous autocratic tendencies. To the Americans who elected Biden, it feels like the ending of a dark chapter in the nation’s history, and potentially the beginning of a moment of great opportunity.
But for that opportunity to be fulfilled, Biden and Harris will need to work fast — and we won’t know if they’ll be able to do that until we know the results in the Senate.
The Biden-Harris agenda
At stake is an agenda that rivals any previous Democratic president’s program.
Biden’s plan to respond to the Covid-19 disaster is called “Build Back Better.” It doesn’t have quite the same ring as “New Deal” or “Great Society,” but it captures what Biden is aiming to do: rebuild from the wreckage left by the Trump administration’s failure to contain the virus and willingness to let it spread to almost 10 million cases and over 237,000 deaths in the US, as of November 8.
That failure has led to the highest unemployment since the Great Depression (14.7 percent in April; 7.9 percent in September) and surging poverty. Meanwhile, as the pandemic raged, the Trump administration responded to protests for racial equality in about the worst and most divisive way imaginable.
The Biden-Harris victory is an enormous relief to the majority who voted against Trump four years ago
That’s the baseline, and the Biden-Harris team has committed to massive spending programs, both on Covid-19 and other challenges like climate and caregiving, to rebuild from it.
To tackle Covid-19, Biden has promised nationwide testing, a 100,000-person Public Health Jobs Corps, hazard pay for essential workers, massive vaccine stockpiles produced ahead of approval for the speediest deployment, and much more.
On the economy, Biden is proposing a bevy of plans that collectively amount to the most ambitious agenda for a Democratic candidate in decades. The plans are oriented in particular around rebuilding (green) manufacturing in the US, building on the safety net expansions made by Obama, and dramatically expanding access to child, disabled, and elder care services.
His economic recovery plan to address the Covid-19 downturn would pay health insurance costs for newly unemployed people, offer middle-class parents and caretakers $8,000 a year for child or long-term care support, spend $700 billion on manufacturing and R&D to expand jobs in those sectors, and make it easier to organize unions.
His climate plan features $2 trillion in investments in clean energy and a clean electricity standard mandating that electricity production in the US not produce any carbon by the year 2035.
But even if Democrats end up taking the Senate, the path ahead for the Biden-Harris agenda remains tricky. A GOP in the Senate minority led by Mitch McConnell would likely repeat McConnell’s 2009-2011 strategy of attempting to block every one of the new Democratic administration’s initiatives. That strategy meant the Obama-Biden administration and its allies in Congress were forced to compromise on elements of financial reform, abandon a public option for health care, and dramatically shrink a major stimulus package, prolonging the Great Recession as a consequence.
To prevent repeating that fate, Biden and a hypothetical Democratic Senate majority would have to abolish the filibuster, as former President Obama and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have strongly urged. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has been very clear that abolishing the filibuster is “on the table” in the new Congress.
Biden will also have to deal with a hostile Supreme Court, especially now that Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Things look even worse for Biden if Republicans keep the Senate. Much of his agenda is likely to be dead on arrival. In that case, Biden will have to decide how to use what little leverage he has, like the ability to force a government shutdown, to pressure McConnell, and he will have to decide which issues he will use that pressure to push.
Biden will also lean on his reputation as a moderate, bipartisan dealmaker to get things out of Congress. When I spoke to Biden economic adviser Benjamin Harris, he explained that Biden plans to leverage his relationships in the Senate to pass his agenda with bipartisan support.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the vice president’s office when he was vice president. I sat there when he called Democratic members, and I sat there when he called Republican members,” Harris recalled. “That’s what happens when you spend so many decades in the Senate is you build these friendships and you build these relationships and you build this credibility.”
In that scenario, McConnell will also have to decide just how obstructionist his Senate GOP caucus can be without incurring public blame for inaction. Given the narrow margin, and the fact that 21 Republican seats and only 13 Democratic ones are up for election in 2022, Senate Republicans will also need to put together a defensible record of governance if they hold the body.
Bringing the curtain down on the Trump presidency
Joe Biden has won the presidency, but it’s far from clear if he will be able to form a government, in the sense of commanding enough legislative votes to regularly pass budgets and other essential legislation. He will likely also face Senate obstruction with his picks for key Cabinet positions necessary to run the government effectively.
This is an unusual situation in most rich countries, which typically use a parliamentary system where a failure to assemble a governing coalition triggers new elections. In America, however, over the past 30 years, the same party has controlled the House, Senate, and presidency only one-third of the time. This dysfunctional system gets defended as Americans wisely preferring divided government (only a small minority of Americans actually do).
But our system has tremendous costs. It brought the US to the brink of default in 2011, because neither Obama nor House Republicans had the capacity to simply enact their agendas. While the parties were able, remarkably, to come together and pass a massive stimulus in March, they’ve failed to renew it since August, at immense human cost. Both parties have plans, but a divided government has meant none of them get passed. If Biden and McConnell are forced to negotiate the next stimulus package, a similar stalemate might ensue.
But that’s all still ahead of us. For now, Americans can mark the end of a vicious and interminable campaign — and a presidency that a majority of the country has rejected.
The last four years have been consequential for the lives of Americans, from policy changes in the normal range of Republican presidencies (like Trump moving the Supreme Court markedly rightward and curtailing environmental and public safety regulations) to ones well outside it (like Trump’s enormous crackdown on legal immigration and his failed pandemic response).
The public has also endured truly unprecedented levels of executive branch corruption and arguably criminality, not to mention a historic presidential impeachment.
Biden’s victory is America’s first step away from those changes and the crew who made them. But it’s only a first step. It won’t instantly clean up the wreckage of the Trump administration, let alone the problems that enabled Trump to win and thrive in the first place. And the scale of his achievement will depend entirely on the Senate outcome in a handful of states.
Biden and Harris supporters are entitled to celebrate. Americans traumatized by the Trump presidency can breathe a sigh of relief. Then it’s time for them, and the new president, to get to work.