As the dust still settles on what I argue was the most progressive election in modern times, I have a few predictions on how things will unfold over Obama's next term (and beyond). Some may argue 2008 was more progressive but I disagree on account of the quality of Senators we elected this year and the overwhelming success of marriage equality and decriminalization/legalization of marijuana on state ballots. Anyway, onto my predictions bellow the orange interlocking treble clefs.
#1. We will hurdle off the Fiscal Cliff Speed-bump on January 1st. The President isn't going to budge on raising taxes on the rich this time and Boehner will not be able to get enough members of his caucus to budge either even though I believe he really wants to make a deal now because he knows Republicans will lose what little leverage they have now once the tax cuts expire.
#2. Democrats will have some legislative successes over the next two years thanks to filibusterer reform in the Senate but Washington will remain largely gridlocked since Republicans will triple down on obstructionism since it's the only way they know how to "govern".
#3. Democrats will take the House back in 2014 and give Obama the majority he needs to make pass sweeping, historic legislation on climate change, tax reforms, energy policy and immigration reform. This is where we come into play; we have to keep our not as politically savvy friends and neighbors engaged and paying attention so we can deliver Boehner a nice November surprise in two years.
#4. The Supreme Court will be have 5 moderate to liberal justices and 4 conservatives when Obama leave office in 2017. Kennedy will retire, realizing that Republican prospects for the White House in 2016 are very grim and that the next President will likely be more liberal than Obama. Scalia of course won't see things this way and will probably die before he retires since we will have 12 more years of Democrats in the White House. Which brings me to...
#5. Hillary Clinton will run and win in 2016. Though I'd like to see someone a bit younger run, Clinton is the perfect candidate to finish what Obama has started.
#6. At some point -and this may take years- the Republican party will break with the Evangelicals and Social Conservatives. Social issues are killing the party and scaring fiscal conservatives and the party's corporate backers.