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Crystal Ball: 2014
Townhall ^ | 12/28/2013 | Steve Deace

Posted on 12/28/2013 11:00:02 AM PST by SeekAndFind

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.

7. Scamnesty will be the biggest public policy battle of the year.

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.

6. Marco Rubio will attempt to rehabilitate his image by moving hard right.

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.”

5. At least one incumbent Republican U.S. Senator will lose his primary.

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.

4. Republicans will win control of the U.S. Senate.

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.

1. Edward Snowden cuts a deal with the feds.

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2014; crystalball; predictions
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ADD YOUR PREDICTIONS HERE...


1 posted on 12/28/2013 11:00:02 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
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.

This would have been mine - but since it's so nicely written, I'll just claim it...

2 posted on 12/28/2013 11:10:46 AM PST by GOPJ ("Remember who the real enemy is... ")
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To: GOPJ

Yes, I agree, its like that moment in the movie Network where the news guy has them open windows and shout:”We are mad as hell and we are not going to take it anymore!”
Freegards
LEX


3 posted on 12/28/2013 11:14:57 AM PST by lexington minuteman 1775
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To: SeekAndFind

The Obama administration will continue to use executive orders to accelerate its progressive agenda with respect to environmental, energy and immigration policy. There will little confrontation by a Republican controlled Congress and only occasional criticism from the media regarding this practice. The “two Americas” will become more evident and it possible that several states will combine their efforts to confront progressive social policy in their respective states. Average income will continue to drop and unemployment will not substantially improve. The stock market will moderate, bonds will lose value due to an uptick in interest rates. Stocks associated with real estate and REITs should have a good year.


4 posted on 12/28/2013 11:19:43 AM PST by yetidog
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To: SeekAndFind

A significant stock market adjustment. The feds will have to start moving money to pay insurance companies screwed over by zerocare and the ruling class, coupled with dropping earning will spook the markets back to reality.


5 posted on 12/28/2013 11:26:11 AM PST by Fzob (Jesus + anything = nothing, Jesus + nothing = everything)
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To: SeekAndFind

in 2014 the most bankable movie brand will again be Marvel. Scheduled for release are:

Captain America the Winter Soldier

X Men Days of Future past

The Amazing Spider Man 2

guardians of the galaxy


6 posted on 12/28/2013 11:30:06 AM PST by be-baw (still seeking)
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To: be-baw

Winter Soldier?


7 posted on 12/28/2013 11:30:31 AM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: SeekAndFind
I am not sure how you equate "Hunger Games" with a battle with political correctness. ................

7. Scamnesty will be the biggest public policy battle of the year.

Both parties favor it, so the uphill fight is to stop it.

8 posted on 12/28/2013 11:32:45 AM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: SeekAndFind

Marco Rubio can pound sand


9 posted on 12/28/2013 11:33:17 AM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: GeronL

yes, the Winter Soldier. will he be friend or foe?


10 posted on 12/28/2013 11:35:00 AM PST by be-baw (still seeking)
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To: SeekAndFind
We’ll see if my preseason prediction of a Seahawks vs. Bengals Super Bowl comes true.

If it does, it will be the least watched game in Super Bowl history. ;)

Ryan would be an improvement over Boehner. He'll at least try to slow Creeping Socialism down a little more than Boehner did, but really can do nothing to stop it. Ryan is an insider, and won't challenge the trend.

Snowden is a dead man if he ever sets foot on US soil again, and he knows it. The true power players don't care about him - it's their puppets who are in a panic, and cannot tolerate the existence of a man who knows what they have done. Some Senator would have him killed - and blame it on the "Gun Nut Right."

11 posted on 12/28/2013 11:36:00 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves (CTRL-GALT-DELETE)
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To: SeekAndFind

Documents incriminating Obama and revealing him as a total fraud are discovered and released to the public. Obama is forced to resign in disgrace.

Waking up now — damn, I was only dreaming!


12 posted on 12/28/2013 11:53:32 AM PST by omniscient
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To: omniscient

Resign??? No, arrested and charged with numerous crimes, no bail. Followed by many more arrests.


13 posted on 12/28/2013 11:55:05 AM PST by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: SeekAndFind

I was going to attempt humor but there’s not much to laugh about in my real prediction. I see a dark economic tide overtaking the United States. Not a tsunami, but a constant, persistent, tide that only heads in one direction. It is named Obamacare. I see suffering on an economic level that is jawdropping, because Americans will either be living a life of penury to afford the bloated premiums and sky-high deductibles, or they will forgo the insurance, spend nothing, and save for the event of illness. The physical suffering due to lack of care (emergency rooms will begin closing to avoid bankrupting their hospitals) will be staggering.

That will kill discretionary spending (except for the gibsmedats, who will merrily, merrily, merrily swipe that EBT for filet and lotto tickets - life is but a dream), leading to closures of restaurants, retail outlets, small businesses and sending the housing market into a coma. Eventually, this wave will reach and plunge tax collections, and the states, cities and towns will have to make deep cuts, deep enough to even make the gibsmedats turn away from the 50-inch HDTV and take notice.

And then there is inflation.

Democrats will be in a panic as this is all their doing. They will all go under the Obama bus as he no longer cares about those useful idiots (if he ever did). Their sole hope will be that vile, scum-sucking creature known as the establishment Republican, which lives to reach across the aisle and make things worse. Our only hope is the Tea Party...which I believe will revive with a vengeance that will make 2010 look like a feisty game of shuffleboard.

But I’m not an economist or even all that bright. Maybe I’m wrong and all is bliss!


14 posted on 12/28/2013 11:57:39 AM PST by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: SeekAndFind
My predictions:

10) No economic collapse in 2014. Another year of Main Street misery and zero job growth papered over by MSM lies. The collapse will eventually come, but the Fed is a ways off from losing control.

9) The Republicans will fail to take the Senate in 2014. Informed voting-age adults are increasingly dropping out of the electorate. The welfare classes vote (or rather, are being voted) at record rates. The GOP will fail to gain enough ground due to lack of interest on the part of people who should be its big supporters. The House will remain in GOP hands, and Paul Ryan will become Speaker.

8) Obamacare will continue to fail, yet will be declared a success by the Administration and the MSM - who will find weekly anecdotal stories about somebody's Aunt Mabel finally getting a free wart removal operation after 30 years of GOP-induced misery. Cash-for-service medicine will spike in popularity, accompanied almost immediately by government attempts to outlaw it.

7) Marco Rubio will re-emerge as the leading GOP candidate for 2016, with everyone outside the GOP elite seeing him as the token he is. GOP pundits will remain dismayed by his continual failure to outpoll Hillary Clinton.

6) Obama's approval ratings will stabilize at their current level. His absence from 2014 campaign rallies will be noted.

5) China, despite enduring serious economic headwinds, will announce a manned mission to the moon and plans for a permanent lunar base.

4) Iran will test several small nuclear bombs. There will be much dismay but no concrete action taken by the West...nor by Israel.

3) Kim Jong Un will suffer an "unexpected" and tragic accidental death, to be succeeded by a military junta loyal to his memory. In death, his image will become more powerful than the man was in life. China's Xi Jinping will pointedly tell the new North Korean junta to back the hell off of making any more nuclear threats, and tensions with South Korea will ease somewhat.

2) South Africa will explode in racial violence, a story which will be largely spiked by the MSM. The country will take several steps further down Zimbabwe's path.

1) The trial of Muhammed Morsi in Egypt will bring out damaging revelations about the Obama Administration's collaboration with the Muslim Brotherhood. The MSM will not know how to report the stories, and will unintentionally publicize details about Obama's and Hillary's actions during the Benghazi before being shushed to silence by Valerie Jarrett's flying monkeys. Impeachment will be publicly discussed for the first time - and loudly attacked as Republican racism. Ultimately, the House GOP will not act and Obama will survive the scandal and remain in office.

15 posted on 12/28/2013 12:03:52 PM PST by Mr. Jeeves (CTRL-GALT-DELETE)
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To: SeekAndFind

1. The first outdoor cold-weather Super Bowl in NFL history will be the last.


16 posted on 12/28/2013 12:06:43 PM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Charles Manson will turn down an opportunity to meet with Hillary Clinton, explaining: “She creeps me out, man.”


17 posted on 12/28/2013 12:09:02 PM PST by GreenHornet
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To: LostInBayport

2. A bipartisan move to shove amnesty down the throats of the American public hits a speed bump when prominent pundits begin to speak publicly about what is driving the mad rush to madness: the need to get millions of new residents who qualify for mortgages on overpriced homes whose values are inflated by interest rates that are still historically low.


18 posted on 12/28/2013 12:10:38 PM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: SeekAndFind; a fool in paradise

The Lolling Scones will continue touring and replace their gittar player.


19 posted on 12/28/2013 12:11:03 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: Mr. Jeeves

I think your number 10 is correct. 2014 is the catalyst for a collapse in 2015.


20 posted on 12/28/2013 12:13:16 PM PST by Ghost of SVR4 (So many are so hopelessly dependent on the government that they will fight to protect it.)
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