Episode #320: The Virus and the Vote

Covid 19 has disrupted nearly all walks of life and has sent shock waves to nearly every corner of the globe. Its effect certainly has been seen in the political campaigns in this country, as candidates have canceled rallies and debates are now confined to TV studios. But there is no unanimity insofar as what to do with the primaries. Postpone them, as what happened this week in Ohio? Have them go on as usual, as we saw in Florida, Illinois, and Arizona? Neither solution is free of controversy and confusion.  Rick Hasen, who writes the Election Law Blog, lists the problems and suggests that the answer may be a vote-by-mail system.

The lack of a studio audience in Sunday’s Biden-Sanders debate harkened back to the days of Kennedy and Nixon in 1960.  Alan Schroeder, an expert on presidential debates, isn’t sure that audience-free debates will be the new norm. But in many ways, he liked what he saw.

And earlier this month, the last surviving member of a Puerto Rican nationalist group that tried in 1954 to kill members of the House of Representatives died. Four years ago we spoke to Paul Kanjorski, more recently a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania but back then a page who was on the House floor when the bullets flew. We’re replaying that interview this week. 

Music used in this podcast:

Absolutely Sweet Marie by Bob Dylan

Monster by Steppenwolf 

We Love You by The Rolling Stones

Generals and Majors by XTC

A Mistake by Fiona Apple