Attempts to Upend American Democracy Not Going Away Anytime Soon, Political Columnist Says
The potential for right-wing violence in upcoming elections may be higher than before the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to a university fellow and political columnist.
About one year ago, an armed mob broke into the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. The mob was eventually subdued, and many Capitol stormers are being tried in court, but the events that day marked the first time a group of people attempted to disrupt the peaceful transfer of presidential power in the U.S.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the country, reiterating that the election was free and fair, and admonishing former President Donald Trump for trying to undo American democracy.
“The anger on the [political] right is just kind of breathtaking right now.” — Shikha Dalmia, visiting fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center
Now, many are questioning what can be done in order to create a more stable democracy and ensure a similar event will never happen again.
Listen: A George Mason University visiting fellow expresses concerns about the precarity of American democracy
Guest
Shikha Dalmia is a visiting fellow with George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, where she began a program to study and resist the rise of American and global right-wing populist authoritarianism. Dalmia says people attempting to upend American democracy are not going away anytime soon, as the potential for right-wing violence in upcoming elections may be higher than before the Jan. 6 insurrection. “The anger on the [political] right is just kind of breathtaking right now,” she says.
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