US COVID-19 crisis 'failure of democracy' at the root, says Obama's ex-speechwriter

The speechwriter for former US President Barack Obama, David Litt, reportedly said that the COVID-19 pandemic in America is a ‘failure of democracy’ at the root. While all 50 states in the US have eased lockdown restrictions, Litt, while speaking to an international media outlet, said that it’s become commonplace to refer to COVID-19 as the ‘worst public health crisis of lifetime’, however, he added that it the ‘failure of democracy’ that has cost the country so many lives and jobs amid the pandemic. 

While referring to several polls, Litt reportedly said that majority of Americans want the leaders to ‘heed the experts' advice’. He added that the government was ‘too slow’ to implement social-distancing guidelines and ‘too quick’ to reopen the economy. Furthermore, Litt also pointed out that the lower-income and non-white Americans are those most likely to suffer from the government’s failing response to the health crisis. 

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Litt, who is author of ‘Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn’t, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think’ and ‘Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years’, said that ‘Americans political power has been further diminished’. He believes that the lives of US citizens depend on successful government response, however, with rare exceptions, House Members jobs do not. 

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‘Capitalistic influence’ has more influence on policymaking

While giving an example, Litt reportedly said that in early March, the virus was spreading and the first 15 states to report cases of the virus accounted for 56 per cent of America’s population and only 30 per cent of America’s Senators. Moreover, he went on to say that the corporations increasing clout with the policymakers has also pushed the government into acting more slowly and reopening more wackily than the American people believe is safe. He added that the ‘capitalistic influence’ has more influence on policymaking than the people’s welfare. 

Meanwhile, the US has the highest number of confirmed cases in the world. With over 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases, the deadly virus has claimed nearly 96,013 lives in the country. President Donald Trump recently also said that it is a ‘badge of honour’ that the country has the highest number of infections globally. He also added that it is ‘great tribute’ to the testing and all of the work that a lot of professionals have done. 

(Image credit: AP)

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