Crystal Ball: 2014

Each December I gaze into my crystal ball and predict what I believe will be the top 10 stories of the coming year. I almost never get these right but they’re fun to speculate about nevertheless. A year from now we’ll take a look back and see how well I did. You can see the predictions I made 12 months ago for 2013 here and here.

10. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 will be the top grossing movie of the year.

Other than the conclusion to The Hobbit, The Hunger Games is the most bankable brand coming out with a film next year. However, The Hobbit: There and Back Again probably comes out too late in the year to top the 2014 box office. On the other hand, the first part of the conclusion to The Hunger Games will be released over Thanksgiving weekend.

9. Backlash against political correctness will be the top cultural trend of the year.

It looks as if “the American sector” of America is finally sick and tired of being sick and tired, and sick and tired of being bullied by the nattering nabobs who have turned being offended into a cottage industry. The ongoing backlash against the “tolerance mob” for the firing of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame simply for believing the Bible will be felt well into 2014. The gaystapo outkicked their coverage here, and whenever you overreach like this the blowback is a female dog.

8. The first Super Bowl played outdoors in cold weather will be the most watched sporting event in history.

The Super Bowl is often the most watched show of the year, but this year’s edition provides an unprecedented novelty act—a chance to see a championship decided in a winter wonderland in New York in February. Not since the legendary “ice bowl” in Green Bay at the dawn of the Super Bowl era in 1967 has this happened, and that continues to be among the famous games in NFL history. We’ll see if my preseason prediction of a Seahawks vs. Bengals Super Bowl comes true.

Election years are traditionally null and void of major legislation, with both sides of the aisle eager to not rock the boat before facing the voters and eager to get home and campaign. But there is one heated battle left on the horizon—the ruling class’ attempt to blow up whatever is left of the rule of law and our national sovereignty once and for all. Look for the Republican Party establishment to work with the Democrats to try and shove this down our throats after a bloody primary season concludes.

Rubio has a fairly conservative voting record outside of his self-immolating support for scamnesty, and that perhaps mortally wounded his chances in 2016. That’s why Rubio will attempt to rehabilitate his image next year by moving hard right both in terms of PR and public policy, and don’t be surprised if that includes abandoning his support for scamnesty—for now at least. Rubio could simply say, “While I still believe in bringing these immigrants out of the shadows, it’s clear the process needs to be transparent and not done with a lame duck congress. Let the voters have their say this fall, and then let the people they elect on their behalf go to work to fix the problem after that.”

Credible conservative challengers to incumbent ruling class Republican Senators have already been found in Kentucky, Kansas, Mississippi, and Texas. Conservatives in “red states” like Tennessee and South Carolina are actively looking for alternatives to the “Undocumented Democrats” representing them as well. Given the anti-ruling class political environment heading into 2014, at least one of these upstarts will slay an incumbent in the primary.

The average U.S. Senate loss for a re-elected president’s next mid-term election has been five seats since World War II. Throw in the epic failure that has been Obamacare, and an increasingly ineffective Obama Regime besieged by scandal and incompetence, and 2014 could be even worse than that.

3. Seeing that his presidential prospects are toast, Paul Ryan will angle to replace John Boehner as speaker in 2015.

Since conservatives celebrated his addition to Mitt Romney’s ticket in 2012, Ryan has gone out of his way to alienate those exact same conservatives at every opportunity. As a result, his presidential prospects are toast. Conservatives don’t want him, and the GOP establishment wants New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (a Paul Ryan with charisma). That’s why Ryan will spend the year angling to replace John Boehner as House Speaker, who will step down after the 2014 mid-term elections.

2. The Supreme Court will use the Hobby Lobby case to try and deliver the kill-shot to religious liberty.

It’s tough to see the same Supreme Court that wrote an anti-Christian polemic disguised as an opinion earlier this year, will then turn right around and acknowledge the Christians they loathe still have their God-given rights. More likely, the same SCOTUS that has taken unprecedented steps to grow statist power through government the past two years will see this as an attempt to silence those who stand in the statists’ way.

The NSA whistleblower is running out of safe places to find asylum. Meanwhile, the feds are scared to death of what else he has that he can leak. So they’ll come together and cut a deal this year that allows Snowden to come home in exchange for turning over whatever else he has, and staying silent henceforth.

Are none of the four challenging McCain's Bitch (Miss Linda Grahmnesty) viable? I thought I was reading at least one or two of them would be respectable contenders.

It doesn’t have to be 10, does it?

1. The Obama administrations attempts to strong-arm the press will become more and more of a story. The WA Times writer and Bob Woodward will be part of it.

2. Plans for the old Kimberly Clark site in Everett will be firmed up. A downtown facility for mentally ill will be considered for Everett.

3. WA and other states will reconsider their involuntary commitment laws.

4. Starbucks will once again reconsider its concealed carry policies in WA state.

Hillary Clinton a nd Chris Christie will no longer be as seriously considered for pres. in 2016. Scott Brown and Rudy Guiliani will rise to prominence.

6. More cities will go bankrupt or close to it.

7. Boeing Machinists union comes to regret its decisions.

8. There will be a break in the Jon Benet Ramsey case, possibly relating to the death of somebody close to the case.

9. The knockout game will move out west and some high profile cases will result.

10. The current trend of telling people in the Military not to express themselves religiously or politically will become more of a story.

I’m just making this stuff up, like they do on Art Bell.

TN and SC do both have credible challengers. State Rep. Joe Carr in TN (with 2 others playing spoiler, no runoff)

SC has 4, the leading challenger(meaning most likely to make the runoff with Graham) State Sen Lee Bright, is not my favorite. He gives off neo-confederatey vibes (some freepers like that) and has had financial problems. I think light in the loathers would probably beat him in the runoff by making the race about him.

Disagree with the article on Kansas, I don’t find Dr. Milton Wolfe to be very credible. He tried to make hay out of the fact that’s Obama’s distant cousin, lame. Also “I’m a (in this case, doctor), not politician”. Only the 3000 guy to use that line. Cliche.

And it’s debatable whether Steve Stockman in TX is credible. He certainly conservative and to Corhole’s right but doesn’t seem like a good guy or apt campaigner and I doubt that one will be very close. Gohmert would have been better. There are a bunch of other challengers in that race too (TX has runoffs), all of them desultory.

I consider Thad Cochran the most likely to lose.s right but doesn

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.