Politics with Amy Walter

Politics with Amy Walter: Governing, the Economy, and Coronavirus

03.20.2020 - By WNYC and PRXPlay

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This week, a look at the way coronavirus is reshaping our worldview.

Louisiana was the first state to postpone their primary contest as a result of the ongoing public health pandemic. Several states have since followed its lead. Louisiana's Secretary of State R. Kyle Ardoin joins Politics to explain the reasoning behind the decision to move their primary.

The global economy has slowed considerably as communities attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus. Economist and Howard University professor Andria Smythe describes the tools that policymakers are using to soften the economic blow. 

Wendy Parmet, professor of law and the director of Northeastern University's Center for Health Policy and Law in Boston, discusses the power that state and local governments have to deal with a public health crisis. 

During times of crisis, people look to the President. A strong show of leadership has the power to calm nerves and reassure audiences that everything will be okay. Professor Barbara Perry is the Presidential Studies Director at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. Professor Perry weighs in on what the role of the president has been historically and what lessons can be applied to the ongoing pandemic. 

Check out our ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here. 

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