As 2009 winds down and comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the stories that captured our attention this past year. Here is a look at the top ten political stories of 2009:
10. The War in Afghanistan
Early in his administration, President Obama fulfilled his campaign promise to send two additional brigades to Afghanistan. In September, Army Gen. Stanley McCrystal said he needed more troops to avoid failure in the war, but it wasn’t until Dec. 1 that Obama announced his plan to send 30,000 troops over the course of the next year into the country. He said the U.S. will begin to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan within 18 months.
9. Terrorist Attack at Fort Hood
When Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan opened fired at Fort Hood killing 13 and wounding 38, it was the deadliest mass shooting to ever occur at a U.S. base, and the worst terror attack on American soil since 9/11. His name is on radical Internet postings, and law enforcement had been watching him for more than six months because some of those postings likened suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades. Let’s hope the military learns from this and in the future takes a more proactive stance to protect our soldiers.
8. Sarah Palin
Our eyes were riveted on the former vice presidential candidate this year. First, she fascinated us with her announcement in July that she was stepping down from her post as Alaska’s governor. Then she struck out on her own with a book and book tour that captured headlines for months. Republicans and Democrats alike are speculating over her next move.
7. Gay Marriage
President Obama opened a floodgate of opportunity for the gay and lesbian community by signing several pieces of legislation extending certain rights to domestic partners this year. Although he has said he is opposed to gay marriage, Obama says he does support domestic partnerships. This year the issue of gay marriage has dominated headlines many times as states grapple with whether or not to legalize unions between gay and lesbian couples. Currently Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont allow gay marriage and it will become legal in New Hampshire starting Jan. 1, 2010. Just last month voters in Maine said “no” to a similar law and the New York legislature rejected a bill to legalize gay marriage.
6. Swine Flu
The H1N1 virus had us biting our nails and wondering when a vaccination would become available. So many Americans became infected with the virus that the president declared the H1N1 outbreak a national emergency to allow caregivers more latitude in treating the influx of patients they were experiencing. He made the announcement in October, months before the official start of the traditional flu season. Thousands of people across the country waited in long lines for hours to get the much-anticipated vaccine, while others chose not to take it, saying they questioned its safety. Health care officials are still watching for signs that the virus is mutating and becoming resistant to current treatments.
5. Government Takeover of General Motors and Chrysler
When the auto giants were ready to fold, the government stepped in, pulling them out of bankruptcy and restructuring the companies. As of December, only one out of 10 top executives remains at GM and just two out of 10 are still at Chrysler. The government estimates it will lose $30 billion on the auto bailout.
4. Health Care
Health care has dominated headlines most of the year as Democrats and Republicans have battled over what should be included in the historic legislation. At the center of the debate are the public option and abortion. Most Democrats favor a public option, which would create a government-run health insurance program to compete with private insurance companies. Many of them also would be willing to use government funds to pay for abortions under the new system. Republicans, on the other hand, do not want a public option and agree with most Americans who say they do not want taxpayer money used to fund abortions. At the time of this writing, a bill has passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. Obama has said he wants to have health care legislation passed before the end of the year.
3. Stimulus Package
In February, as one of his first acts as president, Barack Obama approved a $787 billion stimulus package designed to get the economy moving again. Dubbed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the massive spending bill is one of the largest of its kind in U.S. history. The administration hailed the effort as a success, claiming to have created 1.6 million jobs so far with stimulus funds. Recent reports show inaccuracies in the numbers, and Republicans are calling for an audit of Obama’s stimulus spending. This month, the president called for more stimulus money, stating, “We have had to spend our way out of this recession.” For more on that, keep reading.
2. Recession
The economic recession has been a top story for nearly two years. Some economists say, and the White House would have us believe, it is over. Still, some caution that we aren’t in the clear just yet. In a speech earlier this month, Obama pointed to the slight dip in the jobless rate from 10.2 percent in October to 10 percent in November as evidence of recovery. The unemployment rate hasn’t been that high since 1983. Last month was also the 22nd straight month the U.S. economy has shed jobs, the longest on record dating back 70 years. Still Obama insists a report that shows employers cut a mere 11,000 jobs in November; and the lowest monthly job loss in nearly two years is encouraging.
“Overall, this is the best jobs report that we've seen since 2007,” he said.
1. Inauguration of Barack Obama
On January 20, 2009, Americans watched history in the making as Barack Obama was inaugurated the 44th president of the United States. He is the first African American to be elected to the position and one of the youngest men to hold the post. Obama represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate from 2005 until his election in Nov. 2008. Another historic first for Obama: he has spent $3.5 trillion during his first year in office, far outspending any other first-year president.
Honorable Mention: Guantanamo Bay Closing
Just two days into office, Obama signed executive orders to shut down the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention center within a year and to ban harsh interrogations. To that end, this month he directed the federal government to buy the state prison in rural Thomson, Ill., to house federal inmates and up to 100 detainees from Guantanamo Bay. Critics of the plan do not want to see international terrorists housed on American soil, but Obama has said he believes closing Guantanamo is important to prevent al-Qaida from using it as a recruiting tool.
