Recent events show the strong need for Joe Biden to return to the democratic impulses of the Great Society

The first week of January was marked by two significant events in US politics: the run-off election victories in Georgia of Democrats Raphael Warnock and John Ossoff, giving the party control of the US Senate; and the invasion of the Capitol by insurrectionists seeking to disrupt the transition of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Ryan LaRochelle writes that with control over all three branches of government, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party can address the democratic crisis illustrated by the Capitol insurrection by revisiting the democratic program of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society by passing electoral reform legislation, cancelling student loan debt, and investing in party-building efforts.