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We “rethink the week” with Stephen Pimpare, professor of public policy at UNH Manchester and Fellow at the Carsey Institute of Public Policy; Dean Spiliotes, Professor at Southern NH University; and David Schultz, professor of political science at Hamline University.
We evaluate American democracy in light of our unwillingness (or inability) to stop gun violence; the increasing suppression of political dissent (especially on this 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square); the persistence of white supremacy, misogyny, and class discrimination in American society; and our government’s role in perpetuating (indeed exacerbating) inequality.
We turn our attention to the 2020 election – although still in its very early stages. Should we look at the Democratic candidates through two different lenses: one for the “moderate” candidates and one for the “progressives”? Does Bernie’s campaign sound “stale” the second time around? Is the “newness” of Bernie’s competitors helping them gain momentum? Is Biden’s “above the fray” approach too reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s failed campaigns in 2007 and 2016?
We segue to the question of whether the Democrats in Congress should begin an active impeachment investigation. Will that enable Trump to paint them as partisan naysayers and turn public opinion against them? If Congress eschews impeachment and simply pushes forward with its own agenda (helping ordinary people), will that resonate with the voters? What if there’s no realistic chance that the Senate will enact any Democratic legislation?
On the other hand, would this be a mistake for non-partisan institutional reasons? I.e., without any action to rein in Pres. Trump’s expansion of executive power, will we end up with a permanent imbalance among the 3 branches of government which our Constitution created to check and balance the exercise of federal power?
