2024 is a year that will go down in memory lane as a period of intense drama and chaos. Starting with January, the Iowa caucuses became a spectacle as Republicans rushed to participate on a freezing night, with the temperature plummeting down to -20° in Cedar Rapids. Despite well-funded competitors like the former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump managed to secure victory. The Democrats too held caucuses though they did not draw the same excitement or fervor.
February ended up being a scathing period for President Joe Biden as Special Counsel Robert Hur released findings of the investigation related to unauthorized handling of classified documents in Biden’s residency and elsewhere. The investigation interestingly found that Biden had ‘willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen’. Regardless of this discovery, Hur’s team dropped charges against the President suggesting that a jury would sympathetically view him as a forgetful old man.
The month of March witnessed Iowa citizens engrossed in college basketball. As most of the nation was engaged with sports, President Biden’s inadequacies continued to accumulate. The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s star Caitlin Clark set a historic basketball scoring record while the Iowa State Cyclones men soared to the Sweet Sixteen, only to be contrasted by Iowa Hawkeye men’s dismal record.
April was a pleasant change from politics with millions of Americans getting thrilled by the rare spectacle of a total solar eclipse. Unfortunately, the reprieve was short-lived as May sprung up a new challenge on college campuses as anti-Israel sentiments spiked. University administrations seemed to be taken advantage of, a worrying trend.
As we dipped into June, the situation took a convoluted turn. First, former President Trump had to deal with legal issues, and then shockingly, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, was convicted on criminal charges. Scoffingly, Biden assured that he would not pardon his son or petition for his sentence to be commuted. Simultaneously, videos showcasing Biden’s cognitive decline gained traction, causing a stir about the nation’s leadership.
The state of affairs took a grimmer turn in July, when an attempt was made on Trump’s life during an outdoor rally. This event converged with Biden’s shocking announcement of dropping out of the presidential race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. This appeared as a desperate move from the Democratic Party as they strived to regain stability.
Come August, and the impossibly incompetent Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. She announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate and managed an impressive fundraising total of $310 million. It seemed as if the Democrats were hastily attempting to rearrange their house, although the circumstances hinted at a lack of preparedness.
In September, the Cy-Hawk football game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City concluded with a thrilling win for the Iowa State Cyclones, temporarily diverting the nation’s attention from the competitive political scenario. However, presidential polls soon returned the spotlight to politics, projecting a neck-and-neck race between Harris and Trump.
The political temperature escalated further in October with the vice-presidential debate and the commencement of Iowa’s 20-day early voting period on October 16. The strength of the voter turnout reflected the citizens’ keen interest and involvement in the unfolding political drama.
December took a bizarre turn when President Biden, contradicting his earlier statements, issued an unconditional pardon for his convicted son, Hunter Biden. It seemed like a classic political flip-flop, casting further doubts on Biden’s leadership.
On December 4, a shocking incident occurred when an Iowa native and health insurance CEO was cruelly assassinated in a planned attack outside his New York City hotel. This incident added an unsettling note to the already tumultuous political environment.
The White House caused a controversial outcry on December 23 when Biden commuted the sentences of 37 ghastly criminals on federal death row. This move provoked public backlash since commuting the sentences of such heinous wrongdoers was hardly a popular move.
As 2024 came to an end, the roller coaster ride of events didn’t seem to be abating. While the country was being led across the tumultuous tides, the only thing to be certain about was the steady march of time into 2025. The unexpected happenings had pushed everyone to expect the unexpected.
One could hardly make heads or tails of the numerous upheavals. As we slid into a New Year, the scene seemed far from settling down. It was as if the roller coaster ride had taken another unexpected loop. The undercurrent of anticipation and uncertainty was as potent as ever.
Thus, 2024 left an indelible mark on the nation with its series of bizarre twists and turns. The political landscape was teetering on the brink of unpredictability, with unreliable leadership and unsettling actions from those at the helm.
So, 2024 was a year that will be remembered for its drama, chaos, and political uncertainty. As we look ahead to 2025, we hope for steady leadership and a more peaceful year. The tumultuous past should serve as a stern milestone, a reminder that the hopes of people lay in the hands of those who wield power responsibly.