Atlanta professors on impacts of disinformation, midterms and political rhetoric on democracy in 2022
![](https://www.wabe.org/app/uploads/2022/12/AP22339836910966-scaled.jpg-1440x810-1670341679.jpg)
On this edition of “Closer Look,” Atlanta professors assess the stability and threats toward American democracy over the past year, including the ongoing impacts of the Jan. 6 insurrection nearly two years after the attack.
Illya Davis, a philosophy professor at Morehouse College, joined Dr. Maurice Hobson, an associate professor of Africana Studies and historian at Georgia State University, for a conversation centered on a key question: Was 2022 a good year for American democracy?
While reflecting on the outcome of this year’s primaries and midterms, Hobson stressed a focus on larger underlying issues over the short-term defeat of candidates who supported election conspiracies and the capitol attack.
“If we believe that was a win for democracy, I can sell you oceanfront property in Tennessee. We have voter suppression that’s taking place right here in the state of Georgia,” Hobson said. “Did Secretary of State [Brad] Raffensperger stand up to former president Trump? Yes, and he did his job. That’s commendable. But that particular administration in the state has also pushed a level of voter suppression.”