We “rethink the week” with Valerie Endress, Professor of Political Communication at Rhode Island College; and Russell Muirhead, Chair of the Political Science Dept at Dartmouth College.
DOWN TO A TWO-MAN DEBATE (YES, TWO-“MAN”), IN AN ERA OF COVID-19
Last night’s debate was very different from the previous debates. There were only two candidates and they were both white men. Did that matter? To be sure, the candidates had more time to follow up with each other, responding to the responses, correcting factual representations, considering alternative viewpoints.
But neither candidate recognized the uniqueness of the moment; neither spoke to the crisis mindset surrounding Covid-19. Most Americans had reoriented themselves — refocused their priorities — over the weekend. But Biden and Sanders continued thrashing out policy issues as if there were no viral crisis. People were looking to them to pivot to some of the more immediate issues, but they weren’t flexible enough to do so.
Our guests discussed how Biden and Sanders represent more than just two wings of the Democratic Party. They offer *complementary visions* of how to respond to just about any issue facing our country, including — but not limited to — a crisis like Covid-19. The crisis seems to have added a powerful lens through which we can view more clearly each of these competing visions.
Joe Biden soothes people’s souls, but is that enough? Perhaps the country needs Biden’s stability at this moment (some would call it rigidness); but we also need his team to help him by filling in the substantive gaps that he leaves. He presents himself as all things to all people, but he doesn’t put out proposals for policies that would actually address people’s problems, as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have.
In 2020, after four years of Trumpism, we do need an empathizer in chief, who can calm our fears. We need a president who helps Americans recognize that they don’t have to panic, they will be able to cope with this crisis. But in addition, we need a president who will exercise actual leadership, guiding us and encouraging us to take the actions necessary to avert the worst outcomes that could result from the pandemic.
Last night, Biden promised to choose a woman to join his ticket as vice president. We discussed whether VPs matter. Do they have an important role? In most administrations, maybe not. But consider Dick Cheney. (Pres Reagan, too. relied on his inside team, though not necessarily his vp, to run the US government.) Biden could provide some clarity on the paths he will take as president. We urge him to share publicly the names of the folks he plans to appoint to key cabinet positions in his administration.
We wonder whether many debate-watchers wished they could hear from some of the other Democratic voices who are no longer in the race. Perhaps we could convert the current debate format — where no one but the remaining candidates answer questions at podiums on a stage — instead into a focus group format that brings together all of this cycle’s Democratic contenders. In addition to brainstorming about what policies they might implement to help the country weather the current Covid-19 storm, these wise individuals could also discuss policies that would restore a fair society and a flourishing economy in the longer term.
During this Covid-19 crisis, we can remind ourselves of the value of community, of cooperating with each other, of helping folks who are having an even harder time at the moment than we are. Even beyond that, there are things that we, as individual people or communities, are not able to handle by ourselves. We can re-learn the value of government — at the service of our entire population together — with the ability to reach beyond any individual’s personal space, to rebuild what this tragedy has stolen from our society.
