TIP Seminar Leader Rogers Smith Weighs in on Capitol Riot January 12, 2022 – Posted in: Uncategorized

Political scientist, seminar leader and TIP founder Rogers M. Smith was interviewed by Penn Today on the Capitol insurrection of January 6, 2020. He said that it was “part of a concerted effort to overturn the election results,” and the most serious such attempt in U.S. history. Smith also noted that since the insurrection, supporters of former president Donald Trump have been spreading false claims about what happened, saying the rioters were peaceful, that they were treated brutally by Capitol Police, and that they are being punished unfairly now. He likened these claims to the revisionist history of the Confederacy that was propagated post-Civil War.

Smith warned that Trump supporters have, since the insurrection, continued their attack on U.S. democracy, and that their strategies include a culture war against critical race theory, the adoption of new election laws, and appointment of election officials who will be open to undermining future elections. Read the full text of the interview in Penn Today.

This spring, Prof. Smith will lead the seminar “Educating for American Democracy.” Visit our spring 2022 seminar page to learn more about this and other seminars TIP is offering.