Episode 261: The 2020 Presidential Election Certification

Past Present

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the attempt by Republicans to undermine the final certification of President-Elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• On January 6, Congress will meet in a joint session to formally count the votes of the Electoral College. Natalia referred to Trevor Potter’s Washington Post piece underlining that this meeting should be purely ceremonial, not an opportunity for a referendum on the settled election. Niki elaborated on the useful historical context of John F. Kennedy’s election in 1960. Natalia and Niki drew on this Mother Jones article about the Compromise of 1877.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia recommended Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s NBC THINK piece, “Trump’s Call to Georgia Election Officials Highlights White House Bunker Mentality.”
• Neil discussed the new podcast, Smokescreen: Fake Priest.
• Niki recommended Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Medium article, “The Black Ton: From Bridgerton to Love & Hip Hop.”