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My Top 3 |
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First, I want to send a special shout out to my JS friends who are now following me here. I love you all, and I couldn’t have kept as much of my sanity as I have the past two years if not for you. Welcome!
OK, on with my totally unscientific roster of the top stories of 2008.
#5. McCain campaign implodes. By late 2007, everyone was writing John McCain off as just another Republican candidate in a large field. And yet, he came back, as if from the dead, and took the lead in 2008. But it wasn’t to last. From infighting among campaign staff, to an inability to keep Sarah Palin on a short enough leash, to “suspending” the campaign so McCain could go back to D.C. and fix the economy … not good. And I say that as someone who used to genuinely like John McCain.
#4. Democrats increase majorities in both the House and Senate. While they didn’t get the filibuster-proof majority in the Senate that they wanted, their leads did solidify in both chambers. Let’s hope they learned some hard lessons during their great exile that started in 1994.
#3. Retailers hang on for dear life. After a nausea-inducing Christmas retail season, economists predict a wave of retail bankruptcies in the coming year. Aaaaaand … when the big box stores disappear, the smaller stores have more trouble attracting the peripheral foot traffic they used to depend on. Liquidators are nice and busy these days, however.
#2. Big 3 automakers crash and burn. America’s long love affair with big-ass cars and trucks, and the fuel they consume, came to an end in 2008. Even with gas back at $1.50 or so a gallon, enough people have lost their jobs and/or homes that the lower gas prices are a moot point. The Treasury is currently trying to figure out how best to keep GM, Ford, and Chrysler from going out of business and taking millions of jobs with them. This will probably be a big story in 2009 as well.
And, finally …
#1. I got five words for you: President Elect Barack Hussein Obama. Whether you voted for him or for McCain, you have to admit to the hugely historic nature of this election. From a well-oiled campaign to a candidate with more personal charisma than we’ve seen in a long time, we will someday be telling our yet-to-be-born descendents what it was like November 4 and 5, 2008. Obama’s speech in front of 250,000 or so people in Chicago will go down in history as one of the defining documents in American history.
I feel lucky to have so many readers visit this blog from other countries. France, Britain, Australia, Philippines, Canada, Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany: I want you to know that November 5, 2008 was the day that I and millions of other Americans dared to hope again that the world would see our greatness as a nation after eight long years of heartbreak and missteps. That’s the main reason I can so easily kiss 2008 goodbye and welcome 2009. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that.
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