10 Political Moments that Defined the USA’s 2016
The striking moments in the year America’s political system changed momentously
By Romi Azulay
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
TO SAY THE LEAST, it’s been one hell of a year for the United States, and whether you interpret that in a positive or negative light is up to you. The ups and downs in the American political scene were a roller-coaster of emotions for anyone watching the ride. This year was tremendously inspiring, devastating, surprising and just about every other adjective one can imagine. The political landscape was completely reinvented as Donald Trump clinched the presidential election over Hillary Clinton. As 2016 comes to an end, it is time to look back at the 10 defining moments in politics that made this year such a wild one.
HONORABLE MENTION: THE RISE OF THE ALT-RIGHT
2016 has been marked prominently by the rise of extremist right-wing views. President-elect Trump appointed Steve Bannon as chief strategist in his cabinet, a move that, by many, has been seen as the opportunity for white supremacy to prosper. Bannon, the former CEO of the website Breitbart, is notorious for alleged antisemitic and white supremacist views. Under the incoming administration, alt-right may come to define the White House.
10. THE DEATH OF ANTONIN SCALIA
On February 13, one of the most influential conservative Supreme Court Justices died. Scalia’s death left an empty seat in the Supreme Court which led to much political controversy. As President Obama attempted to appoint a new Justice in the last year of his presidency, Senate Republicans continued to delay the process. Ultimately, the ability to appoint a Supreme Court Justice became a prize for the President-elect. Republicans won their gamble.
9. THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
A common topic throughout the primaries, the United States, along with 12 other nations, signed the TPP agreement on February 4. Bernie Sanders consistently attacked Clinton for her support of the deal as Secretary of State, a stance she flipped on later. Barack Obama stands behind this deal even in the drifting moments of his presidency as Trump has stated that he will withdraw from the partnership “on day one.”
8. INTOLERANCE IN NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina faced the political spotlight in 2016 for all the wrong reasons. This year the state’s legislature passed a bill that removed protections for the LGBT community from discrimination. This bill, House Bill 2, also restricts bathroom access for transgender people. This intolerance was met with serious backlash; controversy erupted and the NBA even moved their All-Star game from North Carolina in order to stand strong for LGBT rights.
7. MICHELLE OBAMA’S SPEECH
As the Democratic National Convention progressed through late July, Michelle Obama gave a speech that struck a chord with Democrats everywhere. The now famous quote “when they go low, we go high” was, at the time, just a motto for how the Obamas handled harsh criticism throughout their two terms in the White House. As the election continued, Obama’s legendary words were quoted by Clinton as well during the presidential debates, serving as a call for hope, integrity and tolerance.
6. CONTROVERSY WITHIN THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE
Bernie Sanders’ grassroots campaign centered on the good of the people was cut short of it’s potential as 20,000 leaked emails proved that, in numerous ways, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democratic Party favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie. Wasserman-Schultz has since resigned from her position as DNC Chair, leaving a crucial opening for the party to fill and rebound from the tough election season.
5. DONALD TRUMP’S “ACCESS HOLLYWOOD” TAPES
In early October, tapes were released of Donald Trump conversing with Billy Bush of “Access Hollywood.” The tapes included disturbing remarks by Trump as he boasted of his success with women: “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” Additionally, he bragged about trying to sleep with married women. The most notorious line in the tapes will never be forgotten by those who care about justice and rape culture: “Grab them by the p — -y,” Trump said. “You can do anything.”
4. THE GREAT WALL
“Build a wall!” chants echoed through Trump’s rallies ever since he notoriously called for a wall between the United States and Mexico in order to combat illegal immigration. Trump was strong and bold with his message, as he was with most of his rhetoric, even claiming that Mexico will be forced to pay for the wall. Progressives and Democrats watched as this divisive idea, along with the Donald’s call to halt Muslim immigration into the U.S., split up the country.
3. RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE
While the election is over, the controversy remains. Near the end of the year, the CIA, along with other intelligence agencies, proclaimed their belief that Russia interfered with the election in Trump’s favor through a series of cyber attacks, leaking the previously discussed DNC emails. Both Trump and Putin deny these allegations, while President Obama gave Russia a decisive foreign policy punishment on December 29, moving to expel 35 Russian diplomats from the country.
2. HILLARY CLINTON’S EMAILS
The cursed emails. Throughout her entire campaign, Hillary Clinton just couldn’t seem to escape the controversy over her email scandal. Hillary wrongly used a private email server to handle classified information and deleted thousands of emails, as discovered upon investigation. FBI Director James Comey stated Clinton was “extremely careless” and “negligent” with classified information. She faced brutal opposition on the topic when Trump claimed that Clinton “has to go to jail.” This call resonated with his supporters as “lock her up!” was a common chant at his rallies. While progressives had heard enough about the emails, much of the population could never overcome them.
1. DONALD TRUMP’S VICTORY
As hundreds of thousands of protesters stood up against Trump’s divisive campaign, hundreds of thousands of others celebrated on the days after November 8, 2016. Against nearly all polls and predictions, the real estate mogul, reality star, and compulsive “tweeter” Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. While appealing to some blue collar workers, Trump also found support in white supremacist factions. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3,000,000 votes, but Trump’s 306 electoral votes greatly outnumbered Clinton’s 232, keeping the glass ceiling intact. The election of Trump brought forward the notion that the American people want change, and Trump was the outsider. In his victory speech, the President-elect announced his plans to bring the country together.
PROGRESSIVES HAVE HAD LITTLE TO REJOICE since Donald Trump was elected. As he enters his presidency in 2017, we hope that the new year brings new ideals, differing from a campaign that insulted nearly every minority possible. It may not be easy, but we must never lose hope. We shall never cease working, in 2017 and on, until our progressive dreams become reality.
