On January 6, 2021, supporters of US President Donald Trump—spurred on and energized by the defeated president himself—launched a violent attack on the US capital to stop the peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Joe Biden. What are we to make of the January 6 insurrection?  What does it tell us about ourselves as Americans and the state of our democracy?  And with another presidential election approaching—and an indicted Donald Trump the likely Republican candidate—how might our parties, courts, and Justice Department act in ways that could safeguard democracy, or threaten it even more?   

In this episode, political scientist Bert Johnson reflects on the state of American democracy, the dangers it faces, and some of the ways Americans might preserve their democratic political system.  

Bert Johnson (B.A. Carleton College, 1994; Ph.D. Harvard University, 2003), professor of political science, has taught American politics at Middlebury College since 2004. His research and teaching interests include campaign finance, federalism, and state and local politics. Johnson is author of Political Giving: Making Sense of Individual Campaign Contributions (Boulder: FirstForum Press, 2013), and coauthor (with Morris Fiorina, Paul E. Peterson, and William Mayer) of The New American Democracy (Longman, 2011). His articles have appeared in Social Science History, Urban Affairs Review, and American Politics Research. He is owner and author of Basicsplainer.com.

For more information on the New Frontiers podcast visit the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs website.  

SHOW NOTES:

Music Credits

• Forte by Kestra - Summer with Sound Album
• Soul Zone by Kestra - Light Rising Album

This episode was produced by Margaret DeFoor and Mark Williams.

Intro by Charlotte Tate, associate director of the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs.

Outro by Srivats Ramaswamy ‘25.5