Quick, what’s the scariest thing you can imagine?
Maybe you thought about Pennywise or Michael Myers, but there is truly nothing comparable to the state of politics in America in 2019. This year has been filled with scary moments, ranging from illness in one of the most iconic political women in history, to bills being passed that don’t allow women the rights to their own bodies.
- In May, a bill in Georgia was passed that made abortion illegal if a heartbeat is detected. Meanwhile in Alabama, a bill passed which made an abortion at any point in pregnancy illegal. These bills don’t give any leeway to pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest and created a divide in the nation. Women not being allowed control over what happens to them, especially in the case of traumatic events, is a terrifying reflection of where we are at right now in politics and society.
- In July, billionaire and founder of the Need To Impeach organization, Tom Steyer declared that he was running for the Democratic primaries. This led to one of the worst, and most annoying, ad campaigns in political history. Before every YouTube video, he would pop up and plead for American people to donate to his campaign so he could reach the debate stage. The main problem: his entire platform is based on his goal to impeach Trump, something that wouldn’t even be an issue if he became president. This scary campaign is still ongoing, but luckily, the YouTube ads seem to have slowed down.
- In August, the nation was shaken to its core, when news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was undergoing cancer treatments. Ginsburg is the first and only woman to hold a seat on the Supreme Court. She is also arguably the most influential woman in America. RBG is beloved by many and probably disliked by just as many, but there is no doubt that losing her would spell disaster for America right now.
- On Aug. 10, news broke that former financial planner and friend to many politicians, Jeffery Epstein was found dead in his jail cell. Epstein had been charged in sexual assault cases in the past and at the time of his death, was under investigation for sex trafficking. Rumors flourished about connections to people in political power and how they may have been connected to the operation. Epstein’s death was ruled a suicide, but many Americans remain unconvinced that this is the truth.
Throughout the year, President Trump’s Twitter has shown us the spookiest side to American politics we have ever seen. From blatant misinformation about states threatened by Hurricane Dorian (which were then covered up with maps modified with Sharpie), to threatening his enemies in Congress with criminal investigations all within the same month, Trump’s Twitter is an ever active and scary sight. Trump’s Twitter never disappoints if you want to feel a little, or a lot, spooked about where this country is headed.
Graphic: Lizzie Talbert/ The Johnsonian
