Potus Geeks: 2020-The Year in Review
2020 was a year in which the news cycle was owned by one issue: the coronavirus. Yes it was an election year, and yes there were supposed to be primaries, caucuses and conventions, but things didn't happen that way. But in the end the major parties selected their tickets for the November election, virtual conventions were held, mail-in voting was expanded and an election was held. The votes were eventually counted and next month the winner is expected to take the oath of office.
But
potus_geeks is not, first and foremost, about politics or current events. It is about history. And we looked at a lot of it in the past year. Here are our monthly subjects in this community during the past year:
January: In what seemed like the most polarized of times in history, we looked at the history of Polarization in Presidential Politics, a subject that dates back to the first presidency, when Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton led polarized ideologies that remain to this day. Our conclusions on this subject can be found here.
February: As the primary and caucuses of 2020 were in full swing, we looked at some of most contentions primaries and caucuses from past elections. We also had our annual Presidents Day Quiz and looked at the most romantic First Couples for our Valentine's Day segment.
March: Our election year theme continued as we looked at some of the most interesting past campaigns, some by successful Presidents, and others by persons who have been relegated to the status of historic footnotes. Included in our series is the story of the woman who ran for President before women were eligible to vote, and the candidate who ran his presidential campaign from a cell inside of an Atlanta penitentiary. Also, on March 26,potus_geeksmarked its 10th Anniversary as a community.
April: By this time the coronavirus pandemic had its grip on the world, but as our April series disclosed, this was not the first time that a president was confronted with a pandemic. Our "Past Pandemics" series looked at how previous presidents had handled, mishandled or just plain ignored previous outbreaks of disease, from the outbreaks of smallpox that Washington, Adams and Jefferson had to deal with, to Ulysses Grant and the Great Epizootic of 1872, as well as the misnamed Spanish Flu of 1918-20, cholera, polio, swine flu, SARS, Zika, Ebola, and others. Our conclusions can be found here.
May: In May we showed some love to the "Obscure Presidents", those with lesser notoriety than the ones on Mount Rushmore or those who appear on currency. Can you guess who was selected Most Obscure?
June: At the suggestion of one of the members of this community, in June our series was on the subject of Presidents in their Youth as we profiled 30 Chief Executives as young men, some in rags, some with riches.
July: As some dubbed Donald Trump's presidency "the Unprecedented Presidency", we selected this as our July topic and looked at just how unprecedented some aspects of his presidency actually were, in comparison to previous administrations. Subjects looked at included the use of social media, protectionism, tension with the media, ties to the entertainment world, relations with Mexico, science, controversial pardons, use of child detention centers, travel bans, golf outings, special counsel investigations and other subjects.
August:potus_geeks continued its tradition of declaring August as "Summer Rerun Month", reposting articles from previous months. Though the pandemic prevented us from travel, some of these entries included some notable trips by Presidents including Ulysses Grant's trip around the world, Chester Alan Arthur's trip to Yellowstone, Millard Fillmore's visit to London to meet Queen Victoria, and the grueling trip that literally killed Warren Harding.
September: As election day approached, we looked at some of the more notable third parties that ran campaigns in past presidential elections, including those that won electoral votes (like Theodore Roosevelt's run for the Bull Moose Party or George Wallace's candidacy for the American Independence Party) as well as two other former Presidents who tried to win back the office as third party candidates (Martin Van Buren and Millard Fillmore). Our conclusions on third party candidacies can be found here.
October: October had us wondering if there would be the usual Presidential election debates common to most recent campaigns, and that was the subject of our posts that month, Past Presidential Election Debates. We looked at those from the past for guidance in answering the question of whether or not they matter or if they change voters' minds, or change momentum. Here are the conclusions we reached. For the last part of the month we looked at some past "October Surprises".
November: In the days leading up to the 2020 election, we looked at the road traveled thus far, as well as some of the closest elections from the past. When it became apparent who the likely winner was, we looked at Past Transitions and concluded the month with George Washington's Farewell Address, containing some sage advice that rings true to this day.
December: A year full of polarization and political animosity on top of a pandemic deserved a lighter ending and so this month we have looked back on how previous presidents celebrated the Christmas season. We also looked at the books we read and reviewed this past year, as well as some that are still stacked on top of our "to read" pile.
2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. It has been a year that has called for tolerance, understanding and kindness as we see our fellow citizens struggle to meet the challenges that come with a pandemic, challenges that can be physical, mental, economic or spiritual. I hope you have found some sort of interesting diversion to help you through these times. Whether you label yourself a liberal, conservative, moderate, independent, or if you just think that labels are for soup cans, we will endeavor to make this community a welcoming place in 2021 for everyone.
But
potus_geeks is not, first and foremost, about politics or current events. It is about history. And we looked at a lot of it in the past year. Here are our monthly subjects in this community during the past year:January: In what seemed like the most polarized of times in history, we looked at the history of Polarization in Presidential Politics, a subject that dates back to the first presidency, when Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton led polarized ideologies that remain to this day. Our conclusions on this subject can be found here.
February: As the primary and caucuses of 2020 were in full swing, we looked at some of most contentions primaries and caucuses from past elections. We also had our annual Presidents Day Quiz and looked at the most romantic First Couples for our Valentine's Day segment.
March: Our election year theme continued as we looked at some of the most interesting past campaigns, some by successful Presidents, and others by persons who have been relegated to the status of historic footnotes. Included in our series is the story of the woman who ran for President before women were eligible to vote, and the candidate who ran his presidential campaign from a cell inside of an Atlanta penitentiary. Also, on March 26,
potus_geeksmarked its 10th Anniversary as a community.April: By this time the coronavirus pandemic had its grip on the world, but as our April series disclosed, this was not the first time that a president was confronted with a pandemic. Our "Past Pandemics" series looked at how previous presidents had handled, mishandled or just plain ignored previous outbreaks of disease, from the outbreaks of smallpox that Washington, Adams and Jefferson had to deal with, to Ulysses Grant and the Great Epizootic of 1872, as well as the misnamed Spanish Flu of 1918-20, cholera, polio, swine flu, SARS, Zika, Ebola, and others. Our conclusions can be found here.
May: In May we showed some love to the "Obscure Presidents", those with lesser notoriety than the ones on Mount Rushmore or those who appear on currency. Can you guess who was selected Most Obscure?
June: At the suggestion of one of the members of this community, in June our series was on the subject of Presidents in their Youth as we profiled 30 Chief Executives as young men, some in rags, some with riches.
July: As some dubbed Donald Trump's presidency "the Unprecedented Presidency", we selected this as our July topic and looked at just how unprecedented some aspects of his presidency actually were, in comparison to previous administrations. Subjects looked at included the use of social media, protectionism, tension with the media, ties to the entertainment world, relations with Mexico, science, controversial pardons, use of child detention centers, travel bans, golf outings, special counsel investigations and other subjects.
August:
potus_geeks continued its tradition of declaring August as "Summer Rerun Month", reposting articles from previous months. Though the pandemic prevented us from travel, some of these entries included some notable trips by Presidents including Ulysses Grant's trip around the world, Chester Alan Arthur's trip to Yellowstone, Millard Fillmore's visit to London to meet Queen Victoria, and the grueling trip that literally killed Warren Harding. September: As election day approached, we looked at some of the more notable third parties that ran campaigns in past presidential elections, including those that won electoral votes (like Theodore Roosevelt's run for the Bull Moose Party or George Wallace's candidacy for the American Independence Party) as well as two other former Presidents who tried to win back the office as third party candidates (Martin Van Buren and Millard Fillmore). Our conclusions on third party candidacies can be found here.
October: October had us wondering if there would be the usual Presidential election debates common to most recent campaigns, and that was the subject of our posts that month, Past Presidential Election Debates. We looked at those from the past for guidance in answering the question of whether or not they matter or if they change voters' minds, or change momentum. Here are the conclusions we reached. For the last part of the month we looked at some past "October Surprises".
November: In the days leading up to the 2020 election, we looked at the road traveled thus far, as well as some of the closest elections from the past. When it became apparent who the likely winner was, we looked at Past Transitions and concluded the month with George Washington's Farewell Address, containing some sage advice that rings true to this day.
December: A year full of polarization and political animosity on top of a pandemic deserved a lighter ending and so this month we have looked back on how previous presidents celebrated the Christmas season. We also looked at the books we read and reviewed this past year, as well as some that are still stacked on top of our "to read" pile.
2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. It has been a year that has called for tolerance, understanding and kindness as we see our fellow citizens struggle to meet the challenges that come with a pandemic, challenges that can be physical, mental, economic or spiritual. I hope you have found some sort of interesting diversion to help you through these times. Whether you label yourself a liberal, conservative, moderate, independent, or if you just think that labels are for soup cans, we will endeavor to make this community a welcoming place in 2021 for everyone.