Author and economist John Ross, a senior fellow of the Chongyang Institute at Renmin University of China, joined “Political Misfits” to talk about the wave of unemployment crashing across the US. The economic impact, though severe, doesn’t have to be prolonged, Ross said, but avoiding that will take steps the US government so far seems unwilling to or incapable of taking. The economic aspect of this crisis cannot be addressed without getting a grip on the medical and social crisis, no matter how much money is shifted from place to place. There are examples of how to do that, if the world cares to see: China is already in recovery, physically and economically.
One thing we can also see is that some of the US’ own leadership are attempting to profit off the situation however they can, with senators appearing to sell off stock based on insider knowledge. Will this mass casualty event lay bare the structural flaws in economic and governance systems? In the aftermath, how will the US and the West assess their own societies and their place in the world?
In Washington, DC, the virus hasn’t stopped police from continuing low-level drug busts. Similarly, the US military is only scaling back, not eliminating, its military exercises. What does that say about our priorities?
Mondale Robinson, founder of the Black Male Voting Project, grapples with hosts Bob Schlehuber and Jamarl Thomas on what opportunities this crisis might present. Will the sudden, real possibility of universal basic income break open the consciousness of the nation? Does it open a pathway to more socialist solutions? Or will Trump be able to spin his virus response as some kind of victory? And how many people are going to fall through the cracks?
The Democratic leadership is means-testing itself into irrelevance. Is there a role for Bernie Sanders to play in pushing the party to be better, and does he play that role in this primary race or out of it? Does he even deserve his reputation for moving the conversation to the left?
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