America is on edge, and that's bad news for the White House
Many key aspects of
economic, social and national life that were once viewed as smoothly running certainties are out of joint. The
Covid-19 pandemic, though it has eased its deadly grip, has left a complicated legacy of challenges that are still disrupting daily life.
Some are aggravations - like the more than 800 airline flights cancelled on Sunday. Others threaten
Americans' economic prospects and sense of safety and wellbeing, like the growing
fears of a recession.
Such an
atmosphere is sure to breed new turmoil in a nation seeing widening ideological divides ahead of midterm elections that are likely to cause more dysfunction if power is split in
Washington between
Republicans and Democrats. And it almost guarantees years of
political bickering ahead of the 2024 presidential race, which may hamper the nation's capacity to solve any crisis.
