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From the Document: When the virus first struck, there was a momentary sense that it might be a dark blessing for U S politics Plagued by worsening polarization and discord for decades, a great national crisis had the potential to bridge critical divides in the US For example, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US there was a great moment of national unity, collective mourning, and widespread goodwill toward political leaders President George W Bush\'s approval ratings reached 90 percent But Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has been far more destructive to the US than that fateful day in 2001 Not only has it claimed nearly 40 times the number of lives, but it has amplified existing disparities across class, race, gender, and other fundamental traits In many ways, inequality is the defining characteristic of American politics that has endured since its inception Inequalities with respect to economic opportunity, voting rights, healthcare, and education are the unfortunate side-effects of a society that values liberty [ ] The US now finds itself in the middle of a pandemic that exacerbates and shines a light on the key societal condition that has most contributed to political dysfunction--inequality To see how, let\'s take a look at evidence of inequality across several key sectors: income, voting rights, healthcare, and education There are many categories across which we can examine inequalities, but in the US the core categories are race and class COVID-19 (Disease);Politics and government;Crisis management in government;Equality
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