Campbell Institute News

"This campaign is going to be about how people think and feel about how the government has responded to this crisis [COVID-19]," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"When you hear [health] experts saying one thing and the head of your [political] party saying another, that’s a troubling kind of thing to decide," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science. In the United States, "What we’re seeing evidence of is that Republicans are basically going with what the president says."

"This is a remarkable chapter in NASA’s history that has lived for 50 years to remind everybody at that remarkable storied agency what a tremendous accomplishment can be yielded even in moments in which it appears to be on the verge of failure," University Professor Sean O'Keefe says. "It reminds us of our humanity." 

"You can’t just turn the lights out and say, we’ll be back," says University Professor Sean O’Keefe. "[The space station] is an asset that needs constant operational attention."

"At its core, this is about an aircraft carrier skipper who sees an imminent threat and is forced to make a decision that risks his career in the act of what he believes to be the safety of the near 5,000 members of his crew," says University Professor Sean O’Keefe.

"Partisanship is determining how citizens respond to COVID-19, and this divided response puts every American at risk," Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, and her co-authors write. "If America’s political elite cannot come together, the costs of COVID-19 will be disproportionately felt in those places where Republicans did not act." 

"If you don't have online access, the only alternative presumably will be to call the Social Security Administration national number and hope for the best," says University Professor and Dean Emeritus John Palmer.

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says that while the primary focus needs to be on the human cost of the crisis, "it is in fact a very good natural experiment to answer the question of how deep our polarization goes — and the answer is, very damn deep."

"The divide in anxiety along partisan lines is very troubling," and that it is "likely to continue until the president and conservative media allow the health experts to lead the messaging," says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science.

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, along with Bethany Albertson of the University of Texas, discussed their book "Anxious Politics: Democratic Citizenship in a Threatening World," and how it can help explain the current public health crisis. 

The plan "demonstrates to the American public that the federal government is taking a very proactive and very strong approach toward trying to shore up the economy and the economic pain that’s coming from this," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

"In the last two weeks, there are moments when he [President Trump] has sounded more ‘presidential’ than I have ever heard him," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "At the same time, he will revert to the old Trump. It’s hard to make sense of those things."

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute says, "If it’s constant updates and endless press conferences with nothing new but an updated number, it doesn’t help," about how much information should be shared about the coronavirus pandemic.

"If you don't already have 35 years of covered earnings at the max level, then your benefit is going to be higher if you work longer," says University Professor and Dean Emeritus John Palmer.

Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, says that it’s still early to declare an official front-runner in the Democratic presidential primary.

A single piece of information rarely changes anyone’s opinion, "whether it’s true-or false," says Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, "That’s a good thing." The idea that a handful of unreliable outlets were going to substantially alter views or behaviors "is pretty far-fetched, given what we know about the stability of people’s political attitudes," she adds.

Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher likens the 2020 Democratic primary to the 2016 GOP primary when several rivals of then-candidate Donald Trump kept their campaigns alive for as long as possible in hopes of stopping the eventual nominee's rise.