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To riff on Bill Belichick, we’re on to 2024.
That’s good. The last few years were… eventful.
2021 started with strife in Washington on Jan. 6. August saw decades of American effort in Afghanistan collapse under a deal pushed by former President Donald Trump and carried into action by President Joe Biden.
Yes, I know the majority of Afghans still wanted Americans to stay in the country, just like we still have troops in Germany, Japan, Korea, and other nations. But Biden wanted to withdraw back during Barack Obama’s tenure, so he was seemingly happy to follow Trump’s plan.
Of course, a few months later when 2022 arrived, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine to protect them from “Nazis.” Inflation jumped to 9.1%, the United Kingdom went through Prime Ministers like tissue paper, and the Supreme Court released the Dobbs decision.
Then came 2023.
The year started with Republican ineptitude, with the slim Congressional majority needing 15 ballots to finally pick a speaker. Months later, a small selection of self-promoters made common cause with all the Democrats to eject Rep. Kevin McCarthy from that seat.
Then it took another three weeks to find a successor. The national GOP was living up to its “stupid party” moniker.
Maine’s Democrats didn’t suffer the same problem. They leveraged their power to force a “majority budget” along partisan lines earlier this year. Then, to complete the gambit, they adjourned their “regular” session only to be called back by Gov. Janet Mills for a “special” session.
The regular session opened in December and closed in March. The “special” session ran from April through late July. Starting in late June, their specialness cost taxpayers an extra $50,000 each day they were in session. This to make sure Democrats didn’t need Republican votes to pass a budget.
Of course, state finances are a complicated thing. Democrats either forgot or didn’t feel that the “Highway Fund” budget needed to be passed in the “regular” session. So if we wanted to continue to maintain roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure – you know, core functions of government – then the Democrats needed GOP votes.
That gave Republicans a chance to force a longstanding issue.
Maine Republicans are a bit more savvy than their federal counterparts. They were happy to govern responsibly, standing firm in their belief that our roads needed a longer-term funding strategy.
They succeeded.
2023 is leaving us in a strange place. Putin’s Ukraine ploy has devolved into a stalemate. Hamas’ sneak attack on Israel has unleashed humanitarian chaos in the Middle East.
The metrics say the American economy seems to be in okay shape, but it doesn’t feel that way for most people. The strife around Donald Trump’s candidacy seems to be heating up, headed for an inevitable showdown in front of the Supreme Court.
So we’re on to 2024.
Early this coming year, I expect the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision to remove Donald Trump from the ballot will get overturned. The three dissenters were all appointed by Democrats; this is a legal issue, not a political one. That is why Democratic-appointed court majorities in states like Michigan and Minnesota rejected attempts to remove him.
Here’s a bolder prediction: the U.S. Supreme Court will be unanimous in overturning Colorado. It is an opportunity to not only land correctly on the law, but also reinforce the independence of the judiciary in our political system.
I’ve got other guesses, like everyone. Some will probably be right. Others won’t.
Rather than go through predictions, I’ll just say that we’re on to 2024. Like that fateful Patriots press conference after a tough loss years ago, hopefully things get better from here.
