The response to this national
pandemic has
provided clear examples
of federalism, which divides
power between different levels
of government. This is
the system the Founders established
for our country
with the U.S. Constitution.
I have always tried to provide
real world examples of
how federalism works while
instructing my political science
classes over the years.
This pandemic will give ample
material for professors
and students in the years
and decades to come.
As any student of government
knows, one of the key
issues to be resolved in establishing
our U.S. Constitution
was a deep fear of a
strong central or national
government. It is for this
reason that our federal system
was established, which
limited the scope of power
for the national government.
As James Madison said in
THE RIGHT
VIEW
Bob Capano
Federalist No. 45 in 1788,
“The powers delegated by
the proposed Constitution
to the federal government
are few and defined. Those
which are to remain in the
State governments are numerous
COURIER L 10 IFE, APRIL 17-23, 2020
and indefinite.”
In this current crisis,
we see issues involving federalism
in action. For example,
despite the criticism
from some Democrats that
President Trump did not
act quickly enough to shut
the country down, he never
had that power. Rather, the
federal government recommended
guidelines.
The actual decision to
shut areas of the country
down rested with the executives
of state and local
governments. This is why
they have reacted at different
times with varied measures.
Not surprisingly, the
data shows that governors
and mayors who acted more
quickly and boldly have had
many less victims of the virus
among their constituents
compared to other areas,
like New York.
Indeed, there is a role for
the federal government during
this crisis.
An area where the president
does have jurisdiction
is regulating foreign travel
into the United States. Ironically,
many of the same Democrats
criticizing President
Trump’s handling of this
pandemic are the same ones
that called him xenophobic
when he blocked travel from
China early on. This decision
is now seen as undoubtedly
saving many lives here in
America.
The national government
also responded with economic
relief packages for individuals
and businesses. In
addition, while states have
the primary responsibility
for their health care facilities
and supplies, the president
and his Coronavirus Task
Force have played an important
role in supplementing
them.
For example, the Army
Corps of Engineers has built
temporary hospitals within
days around the country.
The president also has announced
a number of private
public partnerships to
build medical supplies, including
ventilators, to assist
states.
Even Governor Cuomo
recently acknowledged the
help of the president when
he said that Trump “has
been responsive to New
York and responsive to New
York’s needs and he’s done it
quickly and he’s done it efficiently.”
In politics, it is the level of
government that is closest to
the people that has the most
direct impact on our lives,
just as the Founders envisioned.
For better or worse,
this is also the case during a
pandemic.
Bob Capano has worked
for Brooklyn Republican and
Democrat elected officials,
and has been an adjunct
Professor of Political Science
for over 15 years. Follow him
on twitter @bobcapano
OPINION
What coronavirus has to do with federalism
Actually Mr. President,
the Governors’ mutiny is a good thing
My first column for this
paper observed that
this country seems
to be too large for any individual
to make a difference.
Since then, every column
of mine has been devoted to
the coronavirus pandemic,
which I grant may have gone
differently if one individual,
President Donald Trump,
had acted differently.
In the wake of federal government
inaction, various
governors, including our
own, have banded together
to figure out how they can
slowly and safely reopen our
society.
The president reacted in
his usual mature and considered
way to the governors’
efforts. He claimed he had
“total authority” over when
to reopen the country, which
is not what the constitution
suggests. The next day, he
tweeted “Tell the Democrat
governors that ‘Mutiny on
the Bounty’ was one of my
all time favorite movies.”
So I suppose we can add
Captain Bligh to the list of
authoritarians Trump has
expressed admiration for. A
few hours later, he seemed
to reverse course. “The governors
are responsible,”
he said. “They have to take
charge.”
The president is doing his
best not to govern coherently,
but maybe this is no longer
a coherent country. If Joe
Biden becomes president, he
will surely face “mutinies”
from Republican governors,
as Obama did, and their defiance
will likely be popular
in their states.
The power of the federal
government has been increasing
against the states
for over a hundred years. A
strong federal government
was necessary to fight world
wars and economic collapses,
and eventually to enforce
a semblance of racial
equality on southern states
whose governments desired
no such thing.
I think it’s time to give up
the ghost, though, on the argument
that the federal government
is mostly a force
for good. In this century, it
has repeatedly destabilized
the Middle East and stymied
global efforts to combat climate
change.
We’re not going to be able
to do away with the federal
government completely, but
it’s too far-removed from everyday
Americans to properly
represent us. I think it
would be better for the Red
States and the Blue States
and maybe even the Purple
States to each do their own
thing, as much as possible,
and we can all see what
works best.
Repbublican Senate Majority
LeaderMitch McConnell’s
going to keep screwing
up some senate. But why does
it have to be one with power
over New Yorkers? Kentucky
can get rid of their immigrants
and New York can accept
even more, and we’ll see
who benefits and who stagnates.
South Florida will be
uninhabitable in a couple
decades: their drinking water
will go salty even before
they flood. Why should we
throw good money after bad
down there?
America is a very big
house: let’s try a trial separation
where we live in different
wings.
Nick Rizzo is a Democratic
District Leader representing
the 50th Assembly
District and a political consultant
who lives in Greenpoint.
Follow him on Twitter
@NickRizzo.
WORDS OF
RIZZDOM
Nick Rizzo