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We “rethink the week” with Rachel Caufield, professor of political science at Drake University; Bill Curry, two-time Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut and a White House advisor in Bill Clinton’s administration; and Dean Spiliotes, Professor and Civic Scholar at Southern NH University.
SHAKEUP IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE: We examine how the presidential race may have been shaken up by the Ukraine/Trump/ impeachment scandal, by Bernie Sanders’s heart attack, and by the possibility that Joe Biden may never be able to shake off the slime with which the White House has smeared him. In addition, Trump is doing his best to tie himself tightly to many other Republicans — Pence, Pompeo, Barr, Rick Perry — so that if the president goes down, he takes everyone else down with him.
Meanwhile, even before these seismic changes, Bernie Sanders had slumped to single-digit poll numbers, and the support for Joe Biden’s campaign had been decreasing because of its similarity to Hillary Clinton’s pay-to-play strategy: raising big money from Wall Street donors, avoiding public appearances, and relying on name recognition and the party leaders’ annointment.
We discuss what political landscape the candidates will be facing in Iowa. Contrary to popular myth, Iowa is not a slam-dunk deep-red state. It is very purple, traditionally supporting both Democratic and Republican candidates. Especially now — with Trump’s tariff wars and general instability adversely affecting Iowa’s farmers and small businesses — the President can’t count on an easy win in Iowa.
Another factor are the ever-changing demographic factors in our country. Will the Republican party become obsolete because of its white-supremacist, xenophobic strategy and its growing unpopularity?
As for the Democrats, we wondered whether they might be best-served by nominating Elizabeth Warren for President — she’s a clear-eyed proponent of policies rooted in moral values — and Cory Booker for Vice President — because of his strong moral message, preaching human kindness, compassionate conversations, and treating all people fairly.
