Part One:
IOWA CHAOS.
We speak with John Nichols from The Nation, about the chaotic non-results of the Iowa caucuses last night. We empathize with the people of Iowa and their local officials — as well as the presidential candidates — who invested so much time, energy and soul into these caucuses, only to see some kind of reporting failure (we don’t know yet exactly what happened) stymie their efforts.
We focus on the disappointing turnout. It was average, but failed to meet the high expectations that this year might surpass the 2008 turnout for Barack Obama. Nichols clarifies this by drilling down a little deeper: Last night Iowa saw a massive increase in turnout among voters *under 30* years old. But at the same time, the turnout among voters *over 65* significantly decreased.
What can the Democratic Party (and the rest of us) learn from this? First, Iowa demonstrated that Bernie Sanders is able to mobilize huge turnouts especially among younger voters who are passionate, energetic and committed. It also showed that — all the hype notwithstanding — Joe Biden may not be the most “electable” candidate. Even among moderate Democrats, Pete Buttigieg may have taken over the mantel of the leader of the centrists. Elizabeth Warren’s supporters also showed themselves to be to be well-organized, capable of turning out in force, and remaining calm/ reasonable through the chaos.
One question is whether Buttigieg will suffer any blowback for his unsupported claims of “victory” in Iowa. Will voters be able to trust him?We’ll see as we move on to New Hampshire!
Part Two:
What should we be thinking about The Coronavirus?
We speak with two reporters from Kaiser Health News — Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Anna Almendrala — about separating fact from fiction regarding the coronavirus.
The disease has forced China into somewhat of a shutdown. Its factories are closed, travel is unavailable, and people are essentially staying in their homes until the virus runs its course. The virus is predominantly affecting older people, especially men, and people whose immune systems are already compromised. Health professionals are also concerned about its effect on infant mortality.
We discussed the difficulty in finding reliable information about any aspect of this epidemic. Rumors are spreading and they have led to some undesirable behavior.
Cultural differences also affect people’s responses to the virus. In Chinese culture, it is not unusual to wear masks, often to ward off communicable diseases. In American cities, however, some non-Asian Americans have taunted and avoided people who look Asian, especially if they’re wearing masks. Some schools tell students not to come to school wearing a mask. Other schools view this as culturally insensitive and leading to demonize “others.”
Of course, to avoid the disease, washing one’s hands thoroughly and frequently is more important than wearing masks.
How prepared are we in the US to deal with coronavirus if it penetrates our shores? CDC has certainly done a lot of planning and preparing. And a lot of funding has been allocated. But we aren’t sure that it will be easy for CDC to pull out these protective tools in light of the long amount of time that has passed since we last needed them.
We are not at great risk in the US. People are being screened carefully when they enter the country. But the true facts are sometimes undermined by the issue of trust.
Our level of vulnerability is heightened, in part because a huge part of the planet (China) has been affected but also because a lot of our drugs (and masks) were produced in China, so our supply may become compromised.
Will Trump’s “Public Charge Rule” for *legal* immigrants make the US more vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus?
Will Trump’s xenophobia chill the motivation of legal immigrants (and Asian-Americans born in the USA) to seek out medical treatment when they notice symptoms. And will it encourage even more discrimination by white people of people who look Asian?
