American Elections Then and Now: Wicked Game | 1

American Elections Then and Now: Wicked Game | 1

With the 2020 election looming, Many Americans are wondering how it got this bad, how we succumbed to rancor and invective, fake news and talking points. But maybe it’s always been this way? American Elections: Wicked Game is a new podcast from host Lindsay Graham that looks at every American presidential election in our history–from George Washington’s unanimous election in 1789, to Donald Trump’s surprise electoral win in 2016. 

And as an introduction to the types of Wicked Games politicians have played in the past, this special episode of American History Tellers has Lindsay Graham talking with Steve Walters, writer of Wicked Game, and Greg Jackson and Ceille Salazar from the podcast History That Doesn’t Suck. They’ve brought their favorite examples of politics played dirty, sharing the outrageous tales of deadly slander, a hoax that turns an election, and how one man went to bed thinking he lost, only to wake to a president.

Link to AEWG: wondery.fm/americanelections

Names of interviewees:

Steven Walters, lead writer of American Elections: Wicked Game

Greg Jackson, host of the podcast History That Doesn’t Suck (https://www.historythatdoesntsuck.com/ )

Cielle Salazar, head researcher of podcast History That Doesn’t Suck (https://www.historythatdoesntsuck.com/ )