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Person of the 2010s: Mitch McConnell
Runners Up: Vladimir Putin, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, Xi Jinping

Much like Time Magazine's award of the same name, the person of the decade is not about who is the "greatest" man or woman of the last ten years. Instead, it's about power, global influence, and importance in shaping how the world looked in the 2010s. And, in an unexpected turn of events, that person happens to be the most important and powerful member of the United States Senate in history. That man is none other than "Cocaine" Mitch McConnell.

For those who may not keep up with current events, let me sum up the past decade for you. Barack Obama was a year into his first term. Promises of hope and change were still persisting, and it seemed like the US was poised for a big shift in policy. The politics guys can probably debate this endlessly, but for that first momentous policy initiative, Obama essentially chose an issue that would (in my opinion) neuter his presidency: health care reform. The Democrats had a supermajority going into 2010 and eventually passed their signature legislation in the form of Obamacare. But the reaction was swift. The "Tea Party" was formed, a grassroots Republican movement began, and the GOP took back Congress in the biggest House swing since 1948. And this is where McConnell comes in.

Although the GOP didn't take the Senate quite yet, the damage was done. McConnell immediately took a hardline approach as minority leader, doing whatever it took to stifle any further ambitions of Obama and the Dems. And when he became majority leader a few years later, this reached a whole new order of magnitude. Anything and everything had to go through him. This included the most Machiavellian move of our lifetime in blocking the appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, which would have shifted the Court left for the first time in 40 years. All of this in a year that Trump was supposed to lose the election, opening the door for Hillary Clinton to appoint someone more liberal than Garland.

Mitch's gamble paid off in dividends. It got conservatives to hold their noses and vote for Trump, likely swinging the entire election in his favor. It allowed Trump to appoint his own justices and reshape the federal court system in McConnell's image. And now, as it appears that President Trump is going to be impeached, Mitch will make his final act of the decade ensuring a speedy acquittal.

Again, this is not to say that McConnell is a great person for how he wields his power. I am trying to illustrate just how consequential this one man's actions are. He effectively nullified a two-term presidency. He helped ensure the election of another. He fundamentally transformed the court system in the most powerful nation on earth. And, perhaps most importantly, he forever added to the partisan divide in both the legislative bodies themselves and amongst the general populace.

Many of us will look back on the 2010s as a time of political strife and animus more than anything else. Sports became politicized. The best of music, TV, and film reflected this tension. Our connection to mobile devices and apps allowed us all to stay abreast of current events in real time, with a constant bombardment of news at our fingertips. The most important events of the 2010s were shocking and sudden political changes. And the man who made politics top of mind and partisanship so raw and contentious was a previously unknown senator from Kentucky. For better or worse, Mitch McConnell was the most important figure of the 2010s, and I think the upcoming impeachment trial will be a fitting bow on his momentous decade.

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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
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