2005 Predictions, Part I

Everyone else begins the year with predictions, so why not El Blogero? I also solicited predictions from Mrs. Blogero and El Blogerito, my almost-thirteen-year-old son, and those predictions will follow in later posts. The predictions are limited to politics, sports, pop culture and a wild card.

Here are mine:

Politics: Christine Gregoire sets news records for lowest job approval and popularity for any governor in Washington State history. Tax reform and Social Security reform become the big, contentious political issues of the year, each of which brings good news to the stock market. At least two Supreme Court Justices (Rehnquist and O'Connor) retire at the end of the session, and Scalia is elevated to Chief Justice. The nomination fight for O'Connor's replacement is as ugly and divisive as the Bork nomination, but the President's nominee gets confirmed. New York gets a Democrat mayor and New Jersey and Virginia get Republican governors. The left blames global warming, the U.S. and/or President Bush for every bad event in the world (okay, that one was easy). The stock market goes up on talk of tax reform and Social Security reform; Democrats become depressed.

Sports: Same prediction as always--Yankees win the World Series. Randy Johnson wins the American League Cy Young award and is a contender for MVP. Nothing else matters.

Pop Culture: The Passion of the Christ does not receive any major Oscar nominations and the winner for Best Picture at the Oscar is . . . who cares? (quick: what was the Best Picture winner in 2004?) Michael Jackson is acquitted, but pays millions to several accusers nonetheless. It will be a good year at the movies with Star Wars Episode III (big hit), War of the Worlds (big disappointment) and The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl (sleeper hit). The U2 tour becomes the hot ticket for the year. CBS finally releases its report on Memogate and Dan Rather is replaced by two co-anchors; no one notices either of these events. Reality TV's rise will be slowed by a scandal or a show-related fatality.

Wild Card: Usama bin Laden is apprehended; Democrats become even more depressed.