OPINION:
A version of this story appeared in the On Background newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive On Background delivered directly to your inbox each Friday.
In the interests of full disclosure and a correct record, it is important to assess how well this columnist’s predictions for 2023 (originally published Dec. 31, 2022) reflected reality. While the record isn’t perfect, it isn’t bad either. We’ll start with the correct/mostly correct guesses.
“We will, yet again, have an end of the year omnibus because Congress just can’t help itself.” Too easy.
“Congressman McCarthy will start the next Congress as speaker.” Yep, and pretty much got the implied part of that right as well.
“As part of the fiscal 2024 appropriations process, and after furious lobbying by the environmentalists and the automakers, the domestic content provisions of the energy tax credits embedded in what President Biden has called ‘the Inflation Act’ will be attenuated.” Again, too easy.
“Congress and others will investigate Ticketmaster for various reasons. Nothing will come of any of it. Nor will anything come of most of the oversight conducted by the House Republicans.” Bingo, and that goes double for the weak sauce that is the impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden.
“The value of Twitter and Tesla will each be halved (compared to their valuation on Jan. 1) by the end of 2023.” Partial credit for this one, especially given the pending Tesla recall.
“The Yankees will miss the playoffs. Because ownership knows that Yankee fans are chumps, they will make no meaningful alterations to the team or its management. Yankee fans, because they are Yankees fans, will keep spending $100 per ticket.” Shot out the black on this one.
“The Mets, despite the highest payroll in the league (by far), will not win the World Series. Mets fans, because they are Mets fans, will be surprised.” Again, shot out the black.
“The most pressing political issue in 2023 will be President Biden’s health.” I’m going to declare victory on this one.
“[Former President Donald] Trump will be indicted. Hunter Biden will not be. Rather, in an attempt to protect his father, he will be given a deal where he pleads to a handful of misdemeanors and does no jail time.” Got it mostly right. Who could have imagined that Hunter would have counsel who couldn’t read or comprehend their own plea deal?
“Despite increasing global greenhouse gas emissions and the new record in the use of coal globally in 2022, no one will suggest that the entire Kyoto Protocol regime (which has overseen a 50% increase in greenhouse gases globally since its creation in 1992) has been a failure.” Spot on.
“Japan, having foreseen the rise of communist China and the delay of the United States in responding to this ascendance, accelerates the tempo of the recrudescence of their military.” Yep.
“Tom Brady will regret leaving his wife and acknowledge that regret publicly (probably after the Buccaneers make a hasty exit from the playoffs). On a related note, Pete Davidson will wind up dating Gisele Bundchen before the end of the year.” Half credit for this one; I still have confidence in Pete.
Now the misses.
“Tom Cruise will finally win his Oscar.” The academy will apparently never give an Oscar to an unapologetic American. “Glenn Youngkin, on the basis of his two years in elected office in a mid-sized commonwealth, his personal wealth, his sweater vest fashion sense, and his overall tallness, will announce his presidential bid, as will many others.” Probably four years early on this one.
“Someone in official Washington is eventually going to acknowledge the problems associated with employment in the United States. Around the same time, official Washington will acknowledge the recession in which we find ourselves.” Glad to be wrong here.
“Global oil prices will close 2023 slightly north of $100.” Don’t underestimate the technological and business capabilities of the oil and gas industry.
“President Putin leaves office, dead or alive, volitionally or otherwise, prior to the end of the year.” Dead wrong.
“Communist China … takes the opportunity provided by our obsession with Ukraine, the concomitant deterioration of deterrence capability, and the crumbling physical infrastructure of our leadership to attack Taiwan.” The regime in Beijing has made it clear that this one is a bit premature.
“The Bills win the Super Bowl.” Just a year early.
If you’ve made it this far, send us your predictions. We’ll print the best and spiciest. (Let us know if you want to remain anonymous.)
• Michael McKenna is a contributing editor at The Washington Times and a co-host of the podcast “The Unregulated.” He can be reached at mike@mwrstrat.com.
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