2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Part 1: Politics; Part 2: Nation; Part 3: World; Part 4: Culture.
And now Part 5: Freestyle.
15. Do you have any other predictions for 2011 you’d like to add?
ROB LONG: Ricochet will become the indispensable, captivating conversation for the center right around the world. By September 2011 we'll have over 15,000 members.
PETER ROBINSON: Each of my children will grow a year older. Their father will age 18 months. (My fellow father of five, David Limbaugh, knows what I mean.)
DAVE CARTER: The Tea Party's influence will increase while President Obama's poll numbers diminish as he comes to terms with the realities of a one-term presidency.
RICHARD EPSTEIN: There will be real pushback against public unions.
TROY SENIK: Barack Obama's approvals ratings will be 5 to 10 points higher at this time next year than they are now.
MELANIE GRAHAM: Conservatives will never learn and will try to make nice with the Left.
TEVI TROY: Another bitterly cold, snow heavy winter in the Northeast will cause global warning predictors to insist that the cold weather somehow once again proves that they are right.
BILL WALSH: 112th Congress goes berserk and not only takes down ObamaCare, but refunds the F-22, and lifts bans on incandescent bulbs, standard toilets and showerheads. The Islamic Republic of Iran collapses abruptly and is replaced by secular state to the applause of almost all its clerics. Pakistan becomes more problematic. Chávez regime goes nuclear. Some precipitating incident in the Pacific combined with U.S. passivity causes Japan and South Korea to both go nuclear, massively complicating the balance of power in East Asia, but putting some brakes on China's military build-up. Lindsay Lohan ends up dead or in jail, alas. Pope Benedict XVI regularizes the liturgy of the Mass more closely. Obama regains a lot of popularity, looks hard to beat by year's end. The producers of Spider-Man: The Musical are arrested when the police investigate why they've induced Stan Lee to blow up the theater on opening night for slandering his hero, and it turns out they've sold 25,000% of the play to little old ladies…
JAMES POULOS: Fidel Castro dies; China experiences civil unrest; Europe permits Russia to reabsorb Belarus; the Euro survives, but national currencies return to Europe; marijuana legalized in five US states
ADAM FREEDMAN: By the end of the year, the Chevy Volt will be recognized as the least successful car since the Edsel
- Comment (21)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (4)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Aug '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Rob Long, having missed seeing me at events that occur on certain Fridays, will invite me to participate in a podcast episode.
Jun '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Near the end of 2011, Barack Obama will announce that he will not run for a second term, he'll endorse Joe Biden, and Joe Biden will somehow pretend to welcome the endorsement.
May '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Sarah Palin will announce that she will NOT run for president.
Aug '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Some circuit court, perhaps the 9th, will declare marriage as a gender-based concept to be unconstitutional. This will set a match to that particular cultural tinderbox, and make it impossible to pretend that we've all declared a truce over social issues in order to deal with fiscal ones. As a result, we'll find out for certain whether the Tea Party movement is purely economic, or if it is also a rebellion against elite cultural opinion.
Edited on Jan 6, 2011 at 11:47amNov '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Most predictions can make at least some sense by reference to a fact or circumstance that is known to exist, and supports the prediction in some way even if it’s improbable. All of these except one fall into that category. The exception is Troy Senik’s. That one needs some explanation.
Aug '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Several Ricochet members lose their jobs for spending too much time at ricochet.com from their work computers.
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
TeeJaw : Most predictions can make at least some sense by reference to a fact or circumstance that is known to exist, and supports the prediction in some way even if it’s improbable. All of these except one fall into that category. The exception is Troy Senik’s. That one needs some explanation. · Jan 6 at 12:05pm
Maybe the GOP will make BHO look better? They'll make some good progress, and the American people will give him credit for cooperative bipartisanship.
Jun '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
"PETER ROBINSON: Each of my children will grow a year older. Their father will age 18 months. (My fellow father of five, David Limbaugh, knows what I mean.)"
Sorry, Peter. My wife and I raised five kids, and the ratio for me has been two years for me for every one of theirs. I'm pushing sixty, but look like I'm approaching ninety. Their mother, of course, has not aged a bit (she occasionally checks my postings).
My prediction: Ezra Klein will actually read the Constitution and discover that it's so clear that liberals must be transparently dishonest to twist its words. He'll continue to claim that its over 100 years old and hard to understand.
Edited on Jan 6, 2011 at 1:29pmJun '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
I'm pretty sure Rob means 150,000 members?
Oct '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Here are my freestyle predictions:
15.) Sarah Palin's popularity and success as a GOP presidential candidate will force Mike Huckabee out by the end of 2011. But Herman Cain could pose a potential threat by cutting into her conservative,Tea Party base. Also, Kay Bailey Hutchison will resign from the U.S. Senate and be replaced (via special election) by Michael Williams, who is presently the Chair of the Texas Railroad Commission.
Edited on Jan 6, 2011 at 2:21pmMay '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
If this is confidential info, I understand, and please disregard: How many members does Ricochet currently have? Is it "over the hump" in terms of being a viable enterprise? Sure hope so, and good luck in 2011.
Jun '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
We will finally make contact with extraterrestrial life. A saucer will land on the Mall. The aliens will have just one request - to take Dennis Kucinich. There will be extended wrangling in Congress and on MSNBC, CNN, Fox and CBS whether Congressman Kucinich should be the most appropriate and only emissary of humanity to go. Republicans in the House will eventually vote that a larger contingent of Americans should go with the aliens. After extended deliberation House Republicans nominate the following emissaries: Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank, Anthony Weiner, Barbara Boxer, Richard Blumenthal, Alcee Hastings, Sheila Jackson Lee and Maxine Waters. Joe Biden will complain that he is not on the list. Richard Blumenthal will claim to have already visited the aliens' planet. Alcee Hastings will complain that Republicans have no Constitutional authority to force him to leave. Sheila Jackson Lee will want to go so, when the saucer flies past Mars, she can see exactly where the astronauts planted the American flag. But just before the vote is final, the aliens will leave having lost their patience...and millions of Americans everywhere will be upset that we are still stuck with Dennis Kucinich.
Edited on Jan 6, 2011 at 2:20pmOct '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Maybe the aliens will take Henry Waxman instead.
Jun '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
I think we have time to work on a more comprehensive list before "they" arrive...we just need to make sure that Speaker Boehner posts it on the Internet at least 72 hours before the saucer is scheduled to leave...which will, of course, destroy the accuracy of my prediction.
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Scott Reusser
If this is confidential info, I understand, and please disregard: How many members does Ricochet currently have? Is it "over the hump" in terms of being a viable enterprise? Sure hope so, and good luck in 2011. · Jan 6 at 2:08pm
To be honest, Scott, no. We're not "over the hump" yet -- but we're getting there. We've got a lot of new members -- welcome! -- but we still need a lot more. It's been slower than I think we anticipated, but that's always the case with something new. People want to see if you'll stick around before they make the leap. We're sticking around, by the way!
Jul '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Rob Long
Scott Reusser
If this is confidential info, I understand, and please disregard: How many members does Ricochet currently have? Is it "over the hump" in terms of being a viable enterprise? Sure hope so, and good luck in 2011. · Jan 6 at 2:08pm
To be honest, Scott, no. We're not "over the hump" yet -- but we're getting there. We've got a lot of new members -- welcome! -- but we still need a lot more. It's been slower than I think we anticipated, but that's always the case with something new. People want to see if you'll stick around before they make the leap. We're sticking around, by the way! · Jan 6 at 3:25pm
Yeah, Ricochet fell short of its projection for members in the "moderate Muslim" demographic, because it turns out that there, um, aren't any.
They also missed their goal for the group known as "snark-intolerant". But I have no idea what happened there.
Edited on Jan 6, 2011 at 5:56pmAug '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Kenneth
They also missed their goal for the group known as "snark-tolerant". But I have no idea what happened there. · Jan 6 at 3:35pm
All the more reason for the "snark-tolerant" among us to increase our capacity for snark. Snark, properly employed, cuts through the jibber-jabber.
We must rally to ridicule or be washed away by great waves of wonkery. I vow to become a veritable Keith Richards of snark.
In the words of the immortal philosophers Lynyrd Skynyrd:
"I know a little,... and baby I can guess the rest"
Edited on Jan 6, 2011 at 7:03pmRe: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Kenneth
They also missed their goal for the group known as "snark-intolerant". But I have no idea what happened there. · Jan 6 at 3:35pm
Edited on Jan 06 at 05:56 pm
Snark-tolerant or snark-intolerant? Who are you saying we need more of? :)
Jul '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Diane Ellis, Ed.
Kenneth
They also missed their goal for the group known as "snark-intolerant". But I have no idea what happened there. · Jan 6 at 3:35pm
Edited on Jan 06 at 05:56 pm
Snark-tolerant or snark-intolerant? Who are you saying we need more of? :) · Jan 6 at 7:43pm
I'm just saying the original business plan called for a certain number of snark-intolerant members, but for some inexplicable reason, they just haven't joined up.
Dec '10
Re: 2011 Predictions Survey: Freestyle
Kenneth
Diane Ellis, Ed.
Kenneth
They also missed their goal for the group known as "snark-intolerant". But I have no idea what happened there. · Jan 6 at 3:35pm
Edited on Jan 06 at 05:56 pm
Snark-tolerant or snark-intolerant? Who are you saying we need more of? :) · Jan 6 at 7:43pm
I'm just saying the original business plan called for a certain number of snark-intolerant members, but for some inexplicable reason, they just haven't joined up. · Jan 6 at 7:54pm
Not enough fish here taking the bait?