Partisanship and Populism: A Political Timeline of the 2010s
This is the Part 5 article in GovSight’s “Top 10 of the 2010s” series. Follow GovSight’s Medium and social media to keep up with future installments.
So far in our series The Top 10s of the 2010s GovSight has covered many different topics ranging from Supreme Court cases to U.S. Foreign relations. To get you caught up with the 2010s we devised a thorough timeline highlighting most of the major moments of the decade. Here is our Political Timeline of the 2010s:
January 1, 2010: A new decade begins with Obama in the White House and an angry GOP base over the Affordable Care Act. The Tea Party is beginning to rise.
November 2, 2010: Republicans come roaring back to power in the House of Representatives gaining 63 seats in response to anger over the Obama presidency. Democrats would not win the house back under Obama, setting up years of divided government, stalemates, and furthering partisan divide in Washington.
January 8, 2011: An assassination attempt in Casa Adobes, Arizona leaves Congresswoman Gabby Gifford severely wounded and others dead and helps spark one of the most transformative political fights of the 2010s: gun control.
May 2, 2011: After years of searching, “justice has been done.” President Obama announces to the United States and the world that the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden, has been killed by United States special forces in Pakistan.
November 9, 2011: Perhaps the biggest gaffe of the decade, Rick Perry forgets that the Energy Department is the third federal department he planned on cutting if he became president. The mistake effectively ended his campaign. Ironically enough, he would end up becoming Secretary of Energy in the coming years.
May 29, 2012: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney becomes the Republican Nominee for President. After 4 years, Republicans have their candidate to take on President Obama’s reelection campaign.
Late October 2012: With just days left until the election, Hurricane Sandy ravages the Northeast prompting a visit from President Obama. There to greet him with a bear hug was Republican Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie a rising star in the GOP. Many Republicans believed the stunt by Christie had an impact on the election.
November 6, 2012: Declaring “We’ve got more work to do,’’ President Obama is reelected to a second term as President of the United States defeating Governor Mitt Romney after a tightly fought election with contentious debates.
December 14, 2012: A gunman opens fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut killing 20 first graders and 6 faculty making it the deadliest school shooting in American history. President Obama would later refer to it as the “hardest day of his presidency.”
April 15, 2013: At the finish line of the Boston Marathon, a homemade bomb explodes killing 3 and wounding several more prompts a citywide manhunt for the lone wolf terrorists who planted it. While one of the brothers was killed by authorities, the other was later sentenced to death, but only after a wildly controversial Rolling Stone cover that some claim gave him a “rock star” treatment.
June 2013: After fleeing from Hawaii to Hong Kong, NSA contractor Edward Snowden becomes a whistleblower on the massive surveillance system that the United States had been covertly operating. A hero to some, but a pariah to others, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act and fled for asylum to Russia where he remains to this day.
November 4, 2014: After years of Democratic control, Republicans finally win back control of the Senate and Mitch McConnell becomes majority leader. President Obama, no longer controlling either house of congress, effectively becomes a lame duck and focuses on Executive Action to finish his legacy as President.
Spring/Summer 2015: Presidential campaign announcements begin. GOP heavyweights Governor Jeb Bush and Governor Chris Christie as well as up-and-comers, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz all launch campaigns with high hopes while businessman Donald Trump is widely mocked and ridiculed for his launch at Trump Tower in New York City, where he calls Mexicans “rapists” and supposedly has paid actors to stand in for supporters. Former Secretary of State and Democrat Hillary Clinton ends years of speculation by finally announcing her long awaited run for the Oval Office. At the same time, self-proclaimed “Democratic Socialist” Independent Senator from Vermont named Bernie Sanders announces his run for the White House with very little fanfare or expectations.
June 6, 2015: The decision in Obergefell v. Hodges is announced and legalizes same-sex marriage in all 50 states with the crucial swing vote coming from Justice Anthony Kennedy. Supporters declare that “love wins.”
September 25, 2015: John Boehner announces his intention to resign as Speaker of the House after years of Republican infighting sparking what no one expected: potential candidates running as far as possible from the role.
October 29, 2016: After weeks of saying he did not want the role, Representative Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s former running mate and Chair of the powerful House Ways and Means committee, is elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.
February 9, 2016: Populist fervor grips New Hampshire and voters in the First in the Nation Primary choose businessman Donald Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders, giving both their first wins of the cycle and firmly establishing them as massive newcomers (despite both of their age) on the American political scene for the rest of the decade.
February 20, 2016: After suffering his third consecutive state loss, Governor Jeb Bush announces the suspension of his flailing campaign, signaling for the first time that the Republican Party is truly beginning to cede to Donald Trump’s inevitable victory. Many point to populist rhetoric as the driving point of the change.
June 6, 2016: Secretary Hillary Clinton breaks the glass ceiling and becomes the first female nominee for President of a major American political party for president.
October 7, 2016: After weeks of incredibly hostile campaigning between candidates, the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape is released where Donald Trump is heard bragging about sexual assault and “grabbing woman by the p****.” Many pundits believe that it is for sure the end of his presidential hopes and unsubstantiated rumors even circle that Mike Pence may replace Trump at the top of the ticket.
October 28, 2016: Just mere days from Election Day, FBI Director James Comey announces that he is reopening investigations into Secretary Hillary Clinton’s email scandal.
November 6, 2016: Two days before ballots are cast, FBI Director James Comey says there was no substance found in his reopening of the Clinton Email Investigation
November 7, 2016: On the last day of the Presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton makes stops in states such as North Carolina while Donald Trump makes stops throughout the Rust Belt in their last plea to voters. Many analysts, pundits, pollsters, news outlets, politicians and voters believe Clinton will be the next President of the United States.
November 8, 2016: At long last, one of the most bitterly fought Presidential Elections finally reaches Election day with voters casting ballots across the country. In the political upset of a generation Donald Trump pulls off miraculous victories across the Midwest in Rust Belt states cracking the Blue Wall and securing an Electoral College victory despite losing the popular vote by a significant margin.
January 20, 2017: Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States before a crowd that he has his Press Secretary Sean Spicer claim was “the largest to ever witness an inauguration” but is widely debunked by most major news organizations and fact checking services.
January 21, 2017: Just a day after he took office, millions march in Washington D.C .for the “Women’s March,” an event planned to show solidarity with the pro-choice movement that resulted Americans from across the nation descending on the capital to protest the new president’s agenda.
January 27, 2019: President Donald Trump follows through on a key campaign promise and signs Executive Order 13769, known colloquially as the “Muslim Ban” causing mass protests across the country. Although it was quickly struck down and found unconstitutional, it laid the groundwork for several controversial policy fights throughout his administration.
February 13, 2017: Michael Flynn “resigns” as National Security Advisor to Donald Trump as accusations and rumblings about conspiracy with Russia begin to mount.
May 9, 2017: President Donald Trump fires FBI Director James Comey amidst investigations of his campaign for possible Russia Collusion. The firing was widely seen as a ploy to obstruct justice on behalf of the President and lead to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointing former FBI Director Robert Mueller to handle the Russia Investigation just a day later.
Summer 2017: A whirlwind summer for the Trump White House saw the rise and subsequent quick fall of Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci as Communications Director and several high-profile departures such as Chief of Staff Reince Preibus. The Trump White House quickly becomes a ‘revolving door’ of personnel, as many resign, step down, leave, or are fired.
August 11–12, 2017: White Nationalist and neo-Nazis gather in Charlottesville, Virginia for a “Unite the Right” rally and are met by anti-protesters and severe opposition. Each side clashes with each other and the nation is captivated by shots of people chanting, holding torches and violence breaking out on the streets. At a counter protest, a white supremacist drives his car into a crowd killing one. President Trump does not adamantly denounce the the attack and said “there are good people on both sides.” Many point again to partisanship and populist rhetoric for spurring on the violence.
October 1, 2017: At a country music festival in Las Vegas, a lone gunman opened fire on the crowd and killed 58 people while injuring 413 others. The attack is the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
December 12, 2019: Accused child molester Judge Roy Moore, loses an incredibly close special election for the Alabama Senate Seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to Democrat Doug Jones costing the GOP an important seat in the Senate. Moore loses the closely watched seat despite an endorsement by President Donald Trump.
February 14, 2018: A mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida leaves 17 dead. Classmates and peers of those who died garner large amounts of media attention over their calls for gun control. Populist rhetoric transcends political divide as both sides of the gun rights issue take firm stances on what people really want.
March 24, 2018: Inspired to action by the deaths of their classmates, the Parkland Students organize the “March for our Lives” in Washington D.C. to call for gun control measures to help save lives and prevent future mass shootings. With over 1.2 million people protesting in the United States and across the world, it is widely regarded as one of the biggest protests ever. March for our Lives has subsequently turned into a political organization fighting for gun control and attempts to rival the National Rifle Association or NRA.
June 12, 2018: President Donald Trump sits down with Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the first ever summit with the reclusive country’s leader by an American President. After delays and a rocky start to relations between the two country’s President Trump declares that he and Kim Jong Un are friends.
November 6, 2018: In an election with record turnout, Democrats win back the House of Representatives in a victory many declared as a landslide. Nancy Pelosi, the architect of the victory, would go on to become Speaker of the House once again.
December 22, 2018-January 25, 2018: The longest government shutdown in American History, 35 days, occurs over President Trump’s attempt to get funding for a southern border wall, a key campaign promise of his that he previously claimed, “Mexico would pay for.” With dueling hashtags and finger pointing on Twitter and in the media, the shutdown was an ugly political fight that resulted in President Trump getting little of what he asked for and new Speaker Nancy Pelosi/Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer showing Trump that they would not be bossed around. Partisan divide again becomes a focal point in Washington.
All of 2019: From the early announcers like Mayor Pete Buttigieg, to those who got in about as late as they could such as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Democrats begin their race for the White House. While expected contenders such as Senator Kamala Harris and Representative Beto O’Rourke floundered, newcomers such as Andrew Yang and Mayor Pete Buttigieg shine. The race is hotly contested going into the new year amongst a pack of four top candidates: former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
March 22, 2019: After almost 2 years, Special Counsel Robert Mueller submits his report on the Russia Investigation to Attorney General William “Bill” Barr.
March 24, 2019: Attorney General Barr does not send the report to Congress but rather a letter summarizing it in which many claimed he tried to exonerate the President.
March 27, 2019: Special Counsel Robert Mueller sends a letter to Attorney General William Barr expressing concern that he has not properly expressed the true findings of the report. This is not reported until April 30th.
April 18, 2019: After weeks of Washington squabbling, the Justice Department releases a redacted version of the report. While Special Counsel Mueller did not find Trump guilty of collusion with the Russian Government, but it left open the question of obstruction of justice citing Justice Department precedent that he is not to make such a determination and rather that it is the job of Congress.
Summer 2019: While facing the backlash of the Mueller report and his testifying before congress, the Trump administration, at the direction of the President and his private attorney Rudy Giuliani, tries to pressure the new Ukrainian President into opening an investigation into Joe Biden’s son Hunter, a former board member of Ukrainian oil company, Burisma, in exchange for a White House visit and the releasing of military aid.
September 19, 2019: Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s private Attorney, in a bizarre interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, during which he appears to contradict himself multiple times, admits that he told the Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden leading to a flurry of scrutiny and the realization that there was a much larger scandal at play.
Fall 2019: Congressional Investigations with significant individuals involved in the Ukrainian Scandal appear to show that the President and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, attempted to use the office of the President for the purpose of his own personal political gain.
December 18, 2019: On charges of Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress, Donald Trump becomes only the third American President to be impeached by the House of Representatives, and now awaits a trial in the Senate. The Impeachment process is now believed to further the partisan divide in the nation. Because many Republicans have openly sided with the President and maintain control of the Senate, it is widely believed that the President will be acquitted of his Impeachment crimes.
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