{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/9a03fe9e-1ff0-4dcc-b3f6-50bd1f016ea4/2e63645d-c1ed-4920-a282-5a81ad1bfd38?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Can America Cope?","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6195701f2eacc3a36070252a/619570bccb3c660012e3cffb.jpg?height=200","description":"<p>David, Helen and Gary Gerstle discuss the impact of the pandemic on the fundamentals of American politics.&nbsp;What have we discovered about the strengths and weaknesses of the federal system?&nbsp;Are the states capable of learning from each other?&nbsp;What part will the Supreme Court play?&nbsp;And can the Democrats really persist with Biden?&nbsp;Plus we ask who has the 'police power' and what it means to use it.</p><p><br></p><p>Talking Points:&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In the US, the experience of this crisis differs significantly from state to state.</p><ul><li>For the first 100 years of US history, the power to address epidemics was exclusively in the hands of the states.</li><li>In the second half of the 20th century, the federal government acquired more power, including the power to deal with epidemics.</li><li>The National Public Health Service Act of 1944 vested the US government with the right to impose a national quarantine. (This power has never been utilized.)</li><li>But in the last 30 years, Republicans have been attacking federal power as illegitimate.&nbsp;</li><li>In this moment of crisis, governors have been thrown back on their own resources. This has led to chaos and inefficiency.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Political polarization is playing a role in how states respond to the crisis.</p><ul><li>The states that have been most resistant to implementing shelter in place measures all have Republican governors.</li><li>There is also the question of where people are getting their news.</li><li>Outcomes are going to vary by state.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Capability is another big question.</p><ul><li>Individual states can’t handle this alone, but the systematic hollowing out of the central state means that the government doesn’t have the capacity that it used to.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>What are the politics of this?</p><ul><li>Will it help or hurt Trump’s chances of reelection?</li><li>A federal response will require bipartisan cooperation.</li><li>One area of potential bipartisan consensus is China and the revitalization of domestic manufacturing.&nbsp;</li><li>Biden is now the presumptive Democratic nominee.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Mentioned in this Episode:&nbsp; </p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/311/311900/the-fifth-risk/9780141991429.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Fifth Risk</em>, by Michael Lewis</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2020/234-michael-lewis-updated\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Our podcast with Michael Lewis</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2020/224-super-tuesday-special-bidens-back\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Our podcast on Super Tuesday and Biden’s comeback</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/blog/2020/219-oh-iowa\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">And our podcast with Gary after the Iowa Caucus</a></li><li>Gary's writing, including his book 'Liberty and Coercion' <a href=\"http://www.garygerstle.com/liberty-and-coercion/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.garygerstle.com/liberty-and-coercion/</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Further Learning:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/07/coronavirus-is-infecting-killing-black-americans-an-alarmingly-high-rate-post-analysis-shows/?arc404=true\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">More on inequalities in death rates in the States&nbsp;</a></li><li><a href=\"https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/americas-social-safety-net-wasnt-ready-for-the-coronavirus-crisis/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">538 on the weaknesses in the American social safety net</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/us/politics/wisconsin-primary-election.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">More on the Wisconsin primary</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>And as ever, recommended reading curated by our friends at the LRB can be found here: </strong><a href=\"http://lrb.co.uk/talking\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"...","author_name":"David Runciman and Catherine Carr"}