Pure disasters and governments’ responses to them have all the time packed a substantial political punch. That has been very true the world over when calamities happen within the days and months main as much as vital elections, and much more after they strike geographic areas that obtain excessive ranges of media consideration.
What is happening now in the US, nevertheless, is one thing altogether totally different. The tornadoes of disinformation unleashed upon U.S. voters within the wake of current hurricanes signify a brand new, malignant twist on a extra benign, reliable political phenomenon.
There’s nothing new about politicians attempting to achieve benefit when their rivals’ catastrophe response efforts fail. However the political reverberations of pure disasters have traditionally been moored in actuality, even when the occasions have been utilized to extract political profit.
