As a journalism major and political science minor, when it came to finding a new show on Netflix, "House of Cards" was a perfect choice. It involved scandal, corruption and the ins and outs of the political capital of America: Washington. Here you had Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, the Senate Majority Whip, gracing America with his unheard of Southern accent, charm and political ambition. From the first scene, involving the death of a neighbor's dog, you knew Frank was out to kill. He was not afraid to knock anyone down in the process of his climb to the presidency, as he had an uncanny ability to cover his tracks. While watching, I began to pick up on how closely "House of Cards" resembles real-life politics.
Although, I am almost four years behind on starting "House of Cards," as it started filming in 2013, the storyline of the show has never been more relevant than it is today. Who knew what was depicted in an unrealistic television show about one man's series of unapologetic actions in order to gain the presidency would become the basic plot line of a nation in crisis in 2017.
In the second season of "House of Cards," President Walker and Vice President Underwood were questioned for their involvement in a "dirty money" scandal with China, otherwise known as a money laundering. After several accusations that Underwood and Walker were involved in coaching witnesses and being too close to the scandal for the truth to come out, a special prosecutor was brought in to determine Mr. Underwood's and Mr. Walker's involvement with the case.
In 2017, we have seen the emergence of a special prosecutor to investigate President Trump's ties to the Russian hacking accusations in the 2016 election. President Trump is providing Americans with a great amount of entertainment as he continues to fire back at the media and comes out with new tweets every day regarding his ties to Russia. Maybe I was too young to understand politics before this election, but this is one of the first times I am hearing about the involvement of a special prosecutor in the news. I believe it is crazy how a television show which starting filming in 2013 could so closely assimilate what would occur in American politics almost four years later.
Watch out press members: Frank Underwood will find you. Similar to today, politicians, specifically President Trump, are not taking heat from the media. President Trump has been extremely vocal about his distaste toward media outlets who print negative articles regarding his actions. In "House of Cards," the second Lucas or Zoe would get close to exposing Frank, he would have them killed or jailed. Politicians are unwavering when it comes to protecting their image. Similarly but not to that extreme just yet, President Trump has excluded and banned certain news outlets from attending press conferences.
Frank and Claire Underwood have arranged their marriage based upon what each can bring to the table regarding their political careers. They have navigated through affairs, accusations and death threats in order to fulfill their political agenda. They are a real-life "political power couple" that is willing to cross any boundary to get what they want. The presence of a "political power couple" is no stranger to Washington. Similar to the show, the real-life Washington is full of politicians who are trying to gain an edge on The Hill and who are willing to go to any lengths to cover up their steps.
Imagine a world where Frank Underwood, a man that started in the South with nothing, and has climbed his way to the top of Washington by murdering and corrupting numerous people, would be the President of the United States.
