This Just In – Reviewing the stories of 2022 it’s becoming more and more clear that Americans have had about enough – in the good way.
Let’s start with the least important of the most important stories … the one about The Former Guy.
#5 – Trump’s Grip on the GOP Grows Weaker Every Day
My favorite analogy for what’s happening with the 45th President of the United States is how it came to pass that the Wicked Witch of the West met her end. Dorothy didn’t even mean to kill her when she threw a bucket of water onto the scarecrow’s burning arm. It was collateral damage.
With the noted exception of Rep. Liz Cheney, it’s to no one’s individual courageous credit that The Former Guy is in a continuous skid of losing influence. Likely criminal charges seem to be held at bay (for now) and the lying, cheating and brazen fraud matter little or not at all, it seems. No, it’s the electorate that has kneecapped Trump. The weak and corrupt candidates that he endorsed in the mid-term cycle have made a stunning display of how losing losers lose.
Republicans have not had an awakening regarding Trump’s dangerous, corrosive impact on their party and politics more broadly, but they do understand losing. The streak has now delivered an ungovernable ever-so-slight majority in the House of Representatives and the leading candidate for Speaker on the GOP side is among the weakest politicians we’ll ever witness. Ding Dong.
#4 – Roe vs. Wade is Reversed by the “Supreme” Court
The decision by the Roberts Court (“supreme” no more) has laid bare the corruption among the conservative justices. Not only did the case have a laughable legal “basis,” the fallout from this decision has revealed substantial gaps in the policy and process to maintain a high level of ethics among the justices.
The silver lining: in a manner much like the aftermath of the 2016 election, this outrageous decision has mobilized women politically in a way we’ve not seen before. Great strength and resolve have been unleashed and the country will (eventually) be better for it going forward.
#3 – Russian Invasion of Ukraine Finds Resistance
Nobody expected the amazing, inspiring people of Ukraine to last this long in resisting Russian assaults and terrorism … attacking any and every civilian target with missiles and tanks and air raids. They’ve stood up to all of it, thanks largely to their former-entertainer leader knowing how to use social media and cultivating a good relationship with the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden. The two men must enjoy (in part) telling stories to each other about the political benefits of being grossly underestimated. That leads us into …
#2 – The Federal Government is FUNCTIONING
Yes, there’s been gridlock, but Joe Biden’s leadership and sheer success in 2022 cannot be denied. He started early in the year with bringing a fractured NATO together and expanding the alliance to include Finland and Sweden, constraining Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. While Putin insisted that NATO just better not approve the expansion or else terrible things would happen, they approved it. (See: toddler holding his breath if candy is not purchased)
Biden also successfully passed major legislation (often with bipartisan support) on gun safety, climate change-related investment, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, expanding veterans benefits and protecting the Affordable Care Act.
As Nancy Pelosi, the most successful Speaker of the House in American history, stepped down from her leadership role, she can look back on a mountain of accomplishments. The cherry on that particular sundae might well be the exhaustive work accomplished by her Select Committee on the January 6th Attack on the Capitol. Between the exceptional work of that committee (including an actually readable report) and the documentary recently released by Pelosi’s documentarian daughter, Alexandra Pelosi, we have a historical record of what happened two years ago. No amount of blustery baloney-filled speeches will obstruct our view now.
#1 – Returning to Civilization
Thanks to all of the above, we’re getting our balance back. We like seeing the justice system handle illegality. We like seeing courts throw out ridiculous lawsuits and scolding the lawyers that bring them. We like having free and fair elections where the winners serve and the losers concede. We would rather be attending to our kids’ little league games, picnics and wondering if Carolina can beat Duke in every single game this year. We enjoy competition and rivalry. It’s not hatred, it’s rivalry. We serve it up to our siblings, for crying out loud.
I hope you enjoyed a great holiday week and that you ring in the New Year in a safe and happy way. Come on, 2023 … let’s see what you’ve got!
Jean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.
Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc
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