Recorded on 1/13/2021, Steve Adubato speaks with Jo Renee Formicola, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Seton Hall University, about her thoughts and reactions to the January 6th Capitol riots, the impeachment of President Trump, the future of our democracy and the importance of trusting the voting process. 

Jo Renee Formicola, Ph.D., says the January 6^th Capitol riots were shocking to her because, “It wasn’t just an attack on a neighborhood, or a street, or a small group of people, this was an attack absolutely on the most powerful structures of our government and what they represented.” She said she was stunned, shocked, and angry.   

Dr. Formicola says President Joe Biden has the potential to bring the country together and it is how he will secure his place in United States history or infamy. It will be his greatest challenge, but it is something every President faces, an X factor. She believes many things need to be reformed in this country regarding elections, including term limits, how we fund organizations, financing, and more. Also, Dr. Formicola says our government was not originally created to understand or include technology and social media. She adds, “We can’t believe that the government that was setup 250 years ago, is completely and totally responsive to the new context of the things that we face today. The Founding Fathers weren’t anticipating big tech. Now we’re looking at questions that didn’t exist 50 years ago.”