Returning to Normal?

It is a great temptation to think that after the pandemic we will return to the way things used to be. To go back to how it was before. But keep in mind that would be a world in which we were unprepared for the pandemic and where medical equipment and supplies were running low. As Brandon Ambrosino points out, normal is what we observe, think is acceptable, desired and preferred. But what is normal may not be desirable for everyone. It has been normal for many bad things to happen around the world, as well as closer to home. It is not too soon to start thinking about a new normal, in which we do not go back to the way things were but, instead, consider how we make things better.

The politics of nostalgia is based on the idea that there was a mythical time in the past where the community, nation, or world was better than it is today. It is a utopia in reverse. Coined by Sir Thomas More, utopia has come to be understood as a locality that has a perfect political, legal and social system. Most utopian writings dream of a future; however, nostalgia emphasizes that the best system was in the past. Political nostalgia emphasizes an imagine past where systems were perceived as better, life was less complex, and people were better. In reality, this better time was the privilege of a few elites. Political nostalgia encourages us to think that the past as a semi-utopia, and that we somehow need to return to it. Yet, More’s construction of Greek words, eu (not) + topic (place), literally means a place that does not and cannot exist.  

The new normal can be better. Our current situation is an extremely uncomfortable, scary and challenging present. But it is temporary. In the coming weeks, months and years, we can build on those things that were good while still shaping a future that is better. In a sense, it is why we are all connected to the university. Regardless if you are a student or teacher, we are all hoping to make the future better for ourselves, our communities, and our world.

As we approach the end of the academic year, and for some the culmination of an academic career, the resources we have cultivated calls us not to return to normality, but to construct a better new normal.

To Our Seniors!

“The COVID-19 Infodemic” by Graphika

This is an interesting analysis of the global conversation surrounding the pandemic we are in. Please share your thoughts on the analysis and maps they present.
https://public-assets.graphika.com/reports/Graphika_Report_Covid19_Infodemic.pdf

Governor Wolf’s Plan for PA

https://www.governor.pa.gov/plan-for-pennsylvania/#Phase1Relief

Four Pieces from the International Press (one not about COVID-19)

Dogan and Pelassy argued that without the methodology of comparison, to systematically evaluate, we are blind to understanding what we are doing and how well we are doing it. They compare people who do not practice comparison to the blind men and the elephant. There are several great reads about the impacts of the pandemic on politics and the world this week from the international press that are worth considering:

·         Adam Tooze takes an in-depth look at the pandemic and the effect on the world economy, arguing that the three hubs of production (the United States, China and Europe) each have significant problems to overcome to recover from the global crisis. Political and economic realities will be significant obstacles in the recovery. This will have a tremendous effect on the rest of the world as well.

·        Commenting in Deutsche Welle, IIvaylo Ditchev argues that COVID-19 is straining relations in Europe, not just between countries, but also between generations and classes. He points out that there has been a tendency to practice scapegoating, and richer countries have benefited from the brain drain from poorer countries during the crisis.

·         Meanwhile, on the BBC’s website, Jessica Lussenhop provides a harrowing detailed account of the biggest outbreak in the United States at a single location thus far: the 644 confirmed cases (as of 15 April) at the pork-packing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

For those of you who have grown weary of the pandemic coverage (and understandably so), a totally offbeat article:

·         The Irish Times is covering the creation of a new font / typeface based on the cultural heritage of County Galway, which has been designated the European Capital of Culture for 2020. The new font, Gaillimh, has not yet appeared in my choices in Microsoft Word, but I am hopeful.

Protest Against the Shutdown in PA Monday April 20th

https://www.abc27.com/news/local/anti-shutdown-protest-planned-to-take-place-in-front-of-state-capitol-building-next-week/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_abc27_News

This protest is being organized by political action committees.

Interview with Dr. Murray Leith from Scotland

See Dr. Sachleben’s interview with Dr. Murray Leith, Professor of Political Science at the University of the West of Scotland. Dr. Leith talks about what it is like in Glasgow, Scotland while under mandatory stay at home orders and how students and staff at UWS are coping with education via virtual platforms. He concludes with some thoughts about the future of Scottish and British politics. 

Dr. Leith’s new book, co-written with Dr. Duncan Sim, is Scotland: The New State of An Old Nation (Manchester University Press, 2020).  This interview was recorded 15 April 2020.

What’s bugging Trump about Fauci

There's been a growing divide (among a public who is incredibly divided in the first place) concerning which specific element of the Covid-19 pandemic is more dangerous: the public health crisis or the economic devastation.

This debate reminds me of those awful "which was worse: slavery or the Holocaust?" debates that run ramshod in high school cafeterias. Guess what? THEY'RE BOTH TRAGIC. This isn't a competition. Yikes.

But in the case of Covid-19, this debate is very real because there are those who want to "open the country for business" faster than others. Unsurprisingly, in our hyperpolarized times, this has fallen into the usual "Trump/ Not Trump" shorthand. And, not surprisingly, this means that everyone is finding an enemy to point to and blame. One of these enemies is, apparently and without good cause, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

I couldn't wrap my head around why Trump supporters were angry at Fauci, a man who has served the public through every single president since Reagan without so much as a whiff of partisanship, and then it read this article and it explained it fairly well.  

Let's not take the ideological bait. Let's just trust the experts. I know we have an antipathy toward experts in this country, but right now, it's probably best if we not drink bleach because we heard from a friend's cousin's neighbor who works next to a guy who's uncle works at the CDC that bleach kills all viruses. By the way: It doesn't. 

I would have hoped that we would come together in the face of a major crisis. The numbers are horrifying and growing every day. There are now more than 2 million cases worldwide, more than 615,000 cases in the U.S. alone, and with more than 26,000 Americans who have died. That's sadness on a scale that's hard to fathom.

At the exact same time, I have many friends who own their own small business or work in areas deemed "unessential," which is ridiculous and insulting at the same time. Many of these friends have kids going off to college, they have mortgages, they have bills to pay. This is petrifying and difficult; no one is sleeping well.

I guess where I land with this is that both the public health crisis and the economic uncertainty are BOTH awful. We need compassion for a whole lot of our fellow Americans. 

So let's ignore the partisan stuff, think about the information we are given from credible sources, and remember to be kind. Let's listen to experts (medical and financial) and care for those around us. Let's not run around disparaging the people who want us to be healthy and successful; because it's not a competition. 

Hello from the Grove Gang!

Health and Those Who Govern

The health of government leaders is a latent concern in politics. The government finding a way to carry out its primary functions, including maintaining order, defense and providing services, while the chief decision maker is unwell or incapacitated is a serious challenge. Any government on the international stage would want to downplay the seriousness of the health of a leader hoping to keep rivals guessing about the extent of vulnerabilities. In the United States, consider how information about the serious health concerns of the president, especially in times of political conflict and high tensions, have been obscured or hidden: Roosevelt during World War II, Kennedy and Reagan during the Cold War.

Seemingly, the Twenty-fifth Amendment in the United States settles the question of Presidential succession. Although, I understand, there are situations and problems that are left unclear. (I will leave that for my colleagues) In the United Kingdom, where Constitutional Law is premised more on practice and tradition than in other countries, who would takeover for an incapacitated prime minister is more complicated. With Prime Minister Boris Johnson currently in intensive care in a London hospital, thinking about who is to make substantive decisions is matter of urgency in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While this is not the first time serious health concerns for the British prime minister has occurred, prime ministers Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, and Anthony Eden all face serious health challenges in the 20th century, the current pandemic poses a different sort of challenges. The Foreign Minister, Dominic Raab, has been deputised by the Prime Minister Johnson, effectively standing for him in key situations. But Raab has only limited authority to carry out the cabinet’s plans and cannot make substantive decisions.

What would happen, in any country, if the top layer of government were to be afflicted with COVID-19? While it may appear that it might be far-reaching speculation to consider such a scenario, keep in mind that, by my count, at least three other members of the 22-member British Cabinet might be at risk from COVID-19.  Scottish Secretary Alister Jack and Business Secretary Alok Sharma are both displaying symptoms, and Michael Gove, the Minister for the Cabinet, is self-isolating because family members started displaying symptoms. The high rate of contagion of COVID-19 creates new challenges for world governments.

Shortly after I originally posted, the New York Times ran a story about how the virus was spreading among members of the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia. 

Two Truths.

I've been writing about the costs of having two truths for a while, but it has never been to stark and so dire as the wildly different reports today about the death toll in American because of Covid-19. See what I mean here:

From Rush Limbaugh:

The Models Used to Shut Down America Were Way Off

One of the big news stories of the day that actually can be traced back to yesterday is the projections that our government experts used to shut down the country have turned out to be way off. It’s exactly as I feared, exactly as I warned. The models, we’re told, have turned out to be way off. They overpredicted death. They overpredicted cases. And they overpredicted hospitalization. 

And from The New York Times:

Official Counts Underestimate the U.S. Coronavirus Death Toll

With no uniform system for reporting coronavirus-related deaths in the United States, and a continued shortage of tests, some states and counties have improvised, obfuscated and, at times, backtracked in counting the dead.

“We definitely think there are deaths that we have not accounted for,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, which studies global health threats and is closely tracking the coronavirus pandemic.

Isolation and Art

The Irish Times, 17 March 2020

Art is an integral part of any society. It defines us, explains our values, and what is important. It also helps us to celebrate, as well as provides solace in times of trouble. Art is often relegated to the back pages of most newspaper. Politics, business and finance take centerstage, helping to shift our focus. Yet, art endures. At first, you might think that art is only in museums, yet it our music, television, films. It is the rainbows drawn by children, the verses we jot down, and the items we make.

How many countries regularly published poetry on the front pages of their national newspapers? With the onset of the COVID-19 in Ireland, the Irish Times published on its front page a poem by Gerard Smyth, reflecting on the isolation that many people felt as a result of social distancing. We are not alone in our feelings, and it is a time for reflection.

God Save the Queen!

Typically in the Spring Semester, I teach Comparative Politics, one of my favorite courses.  This message from Queen Elizabeth II to her subjects shows the continued power of the monarchy, particularly in times of struggle.

By Political Scientist Michael A. Smith

How the Pandemic Became Partisan: A Story of Parties, Science and Professionals

Greenberg Productions Presents...

Did you know there were lyrics to "Hail to the Chief"... watch and learn

From Axios: A sense of how long it will be before the virus hits the country.