Your Picks for the Best and Worst of 2021

 

A lot of websites and podcasts are sharing their year-end lists and I thought Ricochet members should have their own. Here are the categories; you can share your picks in the comments below. (Mine will be in the comments as well since I’m more interested in your choices than mine.) You can interpret these categories any way you see fit. Happy list-making!

  1. Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021
  2. Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021
  3. Best/Worst Political Play of 2021
  4. Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021
  5. Best Movie of 2021
  6. Best TV Show of 2021
  7. Best Book of 2021
  8. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021
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  1. Jon Gabriel, Ed. Contributor
    Jon Gabriel, Ed.
    @jon

    1. Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021

    Best: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The dude is just killing it and is perfectly set up for 2024 (of course, it’s still very early).

    Worst: For the first month of 2021, I would say Trump for helping to lose the Senate majority. But by the midpoint of the year, I’d say Liz Cheney for focusing on the former president instead of serving her Wyoming constituents.

    2. Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Best: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Unlike Cheney, she is serving her Arizona constituents and saw the writing on the wall of inflation and Biden’s unpopularity before DC caught up. (I’ll still vote against her, but…)

    Worst: President Joe Biden. Afghanistan, Covid, the economy, energy independence … he has been an utter disaster from start to finish.

    3. Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Best: Christoper Rufo and Parents across the country for leading sheepish Republicans to finally bring the heat to the miserably dangerous and corrupt teachers’ unions and wokeism in general.

    Worst: Very tough call, but I’ll say Biden wasting an entire year on Build Back Better when he should have focused on issues Americans actually care about.

    4. Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Underreported: Another tough call, but I’ll say the international significance of Biden’s unplanned and deadly bug-out from Afghanistan. When Kabul was falling, I assumed Russia would hit Ukraine and China would hit Taiwan before Biden left office. I still hope I’m wrong about that.

    Overreported: Jan. 6. The day of the event, I famously condemned the mob and Trump (to more than a little criticism ’round these parts). It was an ugly scene, but just that — an ugly scene. It wasn’t a coup, it wasn’t an insurrection, and it wasn’t as bad as the riots/arsons/violence that erupted in summer 2020. (Or the riots in DC during the GOP convention.)

    5. Best Movie of 2021

    I didn’t see any movies this year. I didn’t even see an old movie this year.

    6. Best TV Show of 2021

    I don’t really watch TV and didn’t see anything released this year. I did, however watch a brilliantly bizarre British comedy called “Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace” which you can find on Amazon Prime or free on YouTube.

    7. Best Book of 2021

    In what’s becoming a theme, I barely read any books released this year, but read 53 books over 2021, most quite old. Tough to pick my favorite, but I’ll say “War and Peace” by Tolstoy. “Demons” by Dostoyevsky a very, very close second.

    8. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

    The King of Stuff. Duh.

    • #1
  2. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo
    1.  Best Republican politician in 2021 = President Donald J. Trump; Worst = Mitt Romney/John Kasich
    2. Best Democrat politician in 2021 = Senator Joe Manchin; Worst = Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, AOC, Schumer
    3. ??
    4. Underreported story = Abandoned citizens in Afghanistan/2020 Biden Coup; Overreported story = Jan. 6 rally in D.C.
    5. ??
    6. ??
    7. Beyond Biden by Newt Gingrich
    8. Best podcast – American Maxim
    • #2
  3. Patriciajay Inactive
    Patriciajay
    @Patriciajay

    I pretty much agree with your picks. Sinema and Manchin are using their positions of “Most Powerful Man/Woman in DC” well.

     

    For best movie: CODA, which is a heartwarming but not sappy movie about a deaf family, with real deaf actors like Marlee Matlin, who should be in more movies. Best of all, the B story is about fighting the overbearing, stupid US Government ocean regulators who hem in and penalize the fishing community there. Libertarians and conservatives could not ask for more.

    For best TV: I would say Impeachment by Ryan Murphy. Acting and writing very good, and it was pretty evenhanded politically. Also, making us wait for the next episode instead of dropping them all at once is a great marketing ploy! Goliath’s final season was its best too.

    • #3
  4. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens
    1. Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021 -DeSantis/Raffenburger (though Ms. Liz is a close second)
    2. Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021 -There are none/Biden – he owns it all
    3. Best/Worst Political Play of 2021  -Opening up FL/Vaccine Mandate
    4. Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021 – How 2020 election was Rigged/Insurrection! 
    5. Best Movie of 2021 – I don’t watch movies 
    6. Best TV Show of 2021 – I don’t watch TV
    7. Best Book of 2021  – Rigged
    8. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021 – Land of Confusion

     

    • #4
  5. GlennAmurgis Coolidge
    GlennAmurgis
    @GlennAmurgis

    Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021 

           Best – Gov DeSantis

           Worst – Marjorie Taylor Greene

    Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Best – Kristen Sinema

    Worst – Gavin Newsom

    Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Best – FL handling of Covid

    Worst – Fed bureaucracy handling of Covid

    Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Underreported –  Biden Inc – how corrupt the family is – carry over                                                        from the election

    Overreported – 1/6 

    Best Movie of 2021             NA

    Best TV Show of 2021              Does the NFL count?

    Best Book of 2021
            Michael Schellenber’s “San Fransicko”

    Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

               Adam Carolla Show

    • #5
  6. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    Best Republican politician: Ron DeSantis.  Florida is the most free state in the Union now due to him.

    Worst Republican politician:  Liz Cheney, sucking up to Pelosi to get on the Jan. 6 commission, from whence she will stab her party in the back.  If I were Dick Cheney, I would have disowned her.

    Best Democrat politician: Joe Manchin, for single-handedly stopping the destructive BBB package.  He really does represent his constituents in West Virginia.

    Worst Democrate politician:  Joe Biden, the puppet of the Far Left

    Best political play:  Parents against CRT/teachers unions, school boards, and Health Nazis ruining their children’s lives for 2 years

    Worst political play: The entire Democrat party and government in DC and the Press for covering up the obvious mental decline of the so-called “leader” of the free world.  Never, ever in US history has a president been so obviously unable to carry out his duties of office in a way that can never improve.

    Most underreported story: Tie between the Hunter Biden laptop story of corruption at the highest levels of our country (which had it been reported might have changed the outcome of the 2020 election); and the horrific treatment of the January 6 demonstrators in the filthy DC jail, where they continue to suffer, with no attention by the Republican party or anyone else.

    Most over reported story: the January 6 demonstration.  It was most definitely not an armed insurrection, or an insurrection of any kind, but was an excuse for purges of the military and the militarization of the Capitol.  However, it also brought into the daylight, how the politicians in DC really feel about the People-we are a threat to them.

    Best movie:  We only saw one movie in 2021, Black Widow, and we liked it.

    Best book: Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone, latest Outlander installment.  I just finished it and it was excellent.

    • #6
  7. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.:

    • Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021

    Best: Ron DeSantis

    Worst: In an epic, unbroken string stretching back to 2003, Willard Mitt Romney, though Adam Kinsinger made a valiant effort.

    • Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Best: Senator Joe Manchin.

    Worst: All of the rest of them.

    • Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Best: Let’s Go Brandon turning every progtard in the nation into a gibbering buffoon. And the beauty of it is, it just happened. 

    Worst: Terry McAuliffe  “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions … I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

    • Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Underreported (and poorly at that): Waukesha, and D.A. Chisolm’s statement that his “diversion” policy on bail might lead to someone’s death. “Is there going to be an individual I divert, or I put into treatment program, who’s going to go out and kill somebody? You bet. Guaranteed. It’s guaranteed to happen.” I can’t decide whether that’s depraved indifference or premeditation, but it is one of them.

    Overreported: The Omicron Variant. Sounds like the title of another rotten James Patterson novel.

     

    • #7
  8. Eustace C. Scrubb Member
    Eustace C. Scrubb
    @EustaceCScrubb
    1. Best/worst R pol: Best the Governor of Florida and the worst Rep. Lynne Cheney who has put her (at times understandable) apathy for Trump come before the good of the country
    2. Best/worst D pol: Best Senator Manchin and Sinema for not following their party in lockstep and the worst VP Harris whose malice is only tempered by incompetence
    3. Best/worst political play: “Let’s Go Brandon” rose organically and has highlighted Dem and media complicity and stupidity and the worst is the Dems putting so much political capital in January 6th when the nation has moved on.
    4. Most overreported story and underreported stories: Again January 6th is the most overreported story and Darrell Brooks’ murder of innocents at the Wisconsin parade is the underreported story.
    5. Best movie –  Pig
    6. Best TV Series – I was going to say Better Call Saul, but there were no new episodes this year. So I’ll go with What We Do in the Shadows.
    7. Best book – I’m going with a very good Biblical study by a friend of mine, David and David’s Son by Tim Stafford
    8. Best Podcast – The Three Martini Lunch is the podcast I never miss. Shout out to 372 Pages I’ll Never Get Back, a journey through bad books
    • #8
  9. WI Con Member
    WI Con
    @WICon

    1. Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021

    Best: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

    Worst: Liz Cheney

    2. Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Best: Sen. Joe Manchon

    Worst: Kamella Harris, she makes Hillary Clinton look like Bill Clinton.

    3. Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Best: Ron DeSantis-Covid response (vaccine roll-out, mandate, treatments…) – pretty much anything the guy does.

    Worst: Joe Biden, Afgahnistan pull out.

    4. Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Underreported: The ‘Fortification’ of the 2020 Election by the Democrats/Bureaucracy and various Audits and Recounts: what was done, what was legal, what wasn’t, what was counted, what wasn’t, what should have been.

    Overreported: The Jan. 6 “Insurrection”. 

    5. Best Movie of 2021

    Ashes in the Snow (year??). It was about a Lithuanian family that is deported by Stalin to Siberia. Really good indictment of Commuinism. 

    6. Best TV Show of 2021

    I’ve been watching a wide variety of stuff. Liked Carnival Row for the special effects and atmosphere it created.

    7. Best Book of 2021

    Mollie Hemingway’s “Rigged”

    8. Best Podcast of 2021

    Andrew Klavan or Matt Walsh, Mock & Daisey are runners up.

     

    • #9
  10. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.:

    • Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021

    Best: Ron DeSantis
    Worst: Liz Cheney

    • Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Best: Jared Polis, governor of Colorado. He’s been a complete surprise on his sane handling of Covid. Mr. C says he’s running for the Democrat nomination in 2024. He may be right. 

    Worst: Tough call with so many to choose from. Biden is the worst choice for president Americans have ever made (if you believe the vote was free and fair; I don’t), but every now and then he says something almost lucid (no federal solution to Covid). The same cannot be said of the person one heartbeat away — Kamala Harris. But, then there’s Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and AOC and her gang of anti-American punks. I call it a tie. Pretty much the whole Democrat party minus Sinema, Manchin, and the aforementioned Polis. 

    • Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Best: Another tie. DeSantis’s response to Covid in Florida, for sure (with a population that concentrated in the retirement age bracket, their survival rate is remarkable). But, equal and perhaps even longer lasting credit to the Mississippi/Texas pro-life laws. The former is likely saving lives on one end of the age spectrum, the latter two on the other. 

    Worst: The blind hatred of Trump leading Biden (or whoever is running the country) to undo everything Trump did right from border enforcement to energy production to inflationary spending/printing (although Trump only gets partial credit; he spent and printed too much, too) to a loose rein approach allowing the states to decide their own pandemic response.

    • Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Under: Election rigging.
    Over: Covid cases. There’s too much testing going on of people who are asymptomatic (to get on flights, go to work, attend classes. . .), driving the case-rate insanely high (tests aren’t all that reliable, as the CDC just acknowledged) and providing panic, but little useful information. Tell me the deaths and hospitalization, but I don’t care about cases!

    • Best Movie of 2021

    Meh. Didn’t see enough to compare/comment

    • Best TV Show of 2021

    Mr. C and I are enjoying Ted Lasso (although it’s not family appropriate and we have to fast-forward through parts! Maybe getting a little woke, too, sadly.)

    • Best Book of 2021

    Under Seige by one of Ricochet’s own — Austin Ruse (I might have picked Rigged, but I haven’t read it yet)

    • Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

    Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz. I listen every day. ;-)

     

    • #10
  11. Patricia Jay Inactive
    Patricia Jay
    @Patriciajay

    GlennAmurgis (View Comment):
    Worst – Gavin Newsom

    Worst – Gavin Newsom

     

    YESSSS

    • #11
  12. Patricia Jay Inactive
    Patricia Jay
    @Patriciajay

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):

    1. Best/worst R pol: Best the Governor of Florida and the worst Rep. Lynne Cheney who has put her (at times understandable) apathy for Trump come before the good of the country
    2. Best/worst D pol: Best Senator Manchin and Sinema for not following their party in lockstep and the worst VP Harris whose malice is only tempered by incompetence
    3. Best/worst political play: “Let’s Go Brandon” rose organically and has highlighted Dem and media complicity and stupidity and the worst is the Dems putting so much political capital in January 6th when the nation has moved on.
    4. Most overreported story and underreported stories: Again January 6th is the most overreported story and Darrell Brooks’ murder of innocents at the Wisconsin parade is the underreported story.
    5. Best movie – Pig
    6. Best TV Series – I was going to say Better Call Saul, but there were no new episodes this year. So I’ll go with What We Do in the Shadows.
    7. Best book – I’m going with a very good Biblical study by a friend of mine, David and David’s Son by Tim Stafford
    8. Best Podcast – The Three Martini Lunch is the podcast I never miss. Shout out to 372 Pages I’ll Never Get Back, a journey through bad books

    Also like Pig a lot. It went off in directions I never could have guessed.

    • #12
  13. ToryWarWriter Coolidge
    ToryWarWriter
    @ToryWarWriter

     

    Canadian Edition List

    Best/Worst Conservative Politician of 2021

    Best Patrick Brown. The former leader of the Ontario Provincial Party and current Mayor of Brampton. He recently exposed how the medical community is double counting covid, and was instrumental behind the scenes to getting some of the more ridiculous ideas of the Ford government ridiculed out of the way. Hes basically the Prince in Exile plotting to regain his throne from Doug Ford. It would make for great TV.

    Worst Conservative Jason Kenney. He has made such a terrible job of handling covid in Alberta. To the point of ending all restrictions during the summer, to reimposing lockdowns during the middle of the Canadian Federal Election. its like he wanted the Feds to Lose.

    Best/Worst Liberal Politician of 2021

    There is a good Liberal? Del Duca for being totally ineffectual as provincial leader in Ontario.

    Bad Liberal: Trudeau for his explanation of vaccine passports as nothing more than a way to punish those who disobey and reward those who do what the government say.

    Best/Worst Political Play of 2021
    Best Play: Putins continuing to show up Biden and forcing him to back down after nearly causing a war to happen in Ukraine. He continues to outsmart and out play all the other people around him who are dumber than a bag of hammers.

    Worst Political Play: Democrats second impeachment of Trump. They had a golden opportunity to make this into a bloody shirt to hang on the Republicans. Instead they overplayed there hand and forced Republicans to defend Trump in their lame second impeachment. Just because you pulled a full house off last round, doesnt mean you go all in on a pair of 2s.

    Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Underreported Story: The fact that Africa the least vaccinated continent on the planet has the lowest mortality from Covid. Nigeria has 14 dead per million. The USA has 2200 per million. Someone might want to look into that.

    Overreported story:

    Covid 19 a virus that the world has defeated some time in the Summer of 2021, is now constantly been trumpeted around the world.

    Best Movie of 2021

    Free Guy. A fun movie with a lot of heart and though there was a lame love story bolted in, I have a feeling this is how the development of AI will happen. We need more original stories like this.

    Best TV Show of 2021
    For All Mankind on Apple +. A show where the Soviets beat the USA to the Moon and a new space race continues. The second season took place during the Reagan administration and reminded us how it was at the time. Highly recommended. A good solid show that conservatives can enjoy.

    Best Book of 2021

    I finished reading my fathers book but thats from the 1970s.

    Fools Errand by Scott Horton. A book that explains why the USA/NATO failed in Afghanistan, and how the only way the USA could have stayed in was to deploy another 50,000 troops pretty much forever.

    Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

    No Agenda, which long ago claimed the title of Best Podcast in the Universe. 

    Of course only some sort of weird desperate pathetic individual, would nominate there own podcast. I mean thats just unseemly.

    • #13
  14. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

    Today’s Breitbart News Daily Podcast is a special one-on-one interview with host Alex Marlow and renowned historian Victor Davis Hanson that was recorded on Hanson’s ranch in central California. The discussion covers the current state of affairs in America, with Hanson’s new book, The Dying Citizen, as the overarching guide to this nearly two-hour in-depth conversation.

     

    https://www.breitbart.com/podcast/2021/12/29/breitbart-news-daily-podcast-ep-40-interview-with-victor-davis-hanson-on-the-dying-citizen/

     

     

    attn: Ricochet’s Leading Never Trumper™

     


     

     

     

     

     

    • #14
  15. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    attn: Ricochet’s Leading Never Trumper™

     

     

     

     

    • #15
  16. Jim Kearney Member
    Jim Kearney
    @JimKearney

    Best GOP politician of 2021 was Gov. Ron DeSantis. Worst? Sorry, I try not to speak ill of fellow Republicans. However, our contributions to GOP primary races will be a matter of public record.

    Best Democrat politician: Mayor-elect Eric Adams of New York City. It takes guts to run against the BLM anti-police agenda in the Big Blue Apple, but this ex-NYPD Captain (and former transit cop) has made all the right promises. Let’s hope he follows through.

    Worst Democrat politician: Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin. The local park and public library near me was turned into a massive Skid Row style camp by this guy. The Recall petitions caught fire, and with some help from the L.A. County Sheriff, the months-long seige finally ended. We won’t rest safe until the Bonin recall is successful.

    Best political play of 2021: I must agree with Dan Henninger of the Wall Street Journal on this one. When Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred’s sided with the far Left of the Democrat Party in opposition to Georgia’s election integrity law and moved the all-star game out of Atlanta, the Braves quietly did what they do best, play baseball. So Atlanta got three World Series games at home instead, during one of which President and Mrs. Trump joined fans in the tomahawk chop. Then, in Houston, Manfred had to present the trophy to the World Champion Atlanta Braves.

    Worst political play of 2021: some idiot in Virginia told parents they had no business deciding what their kids learned in school. 

    Most Overreported Story: the partly riotous January 6 demonstrations in Washington. Not a failed coup, as mis-reported. 

    Most Underreported Story: the success of Operation Warp Speed. We’d be a happier, healthier country if the OWS success story replaced all the anti-vax nonsense lined up on conservative media like an anti-science blockade. By the way, how exactly was vaccine approval delayed until after the November 2020 election? Also displaced from deserved coverage: the election law rigging and the electoral non-integrity of write-in ballots in 2020. How will these stories be fully noted and most favorably resolved? When our 45th President is elected our 47th!

    Best TV Show of 2021: Astrid, which in the U.S. is on the PBS Masterpiece streaming channel

    Best Book of 2021: non-fiction: Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris; fiction: A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz

    • #16
  17. Brian Clendinen Inactive
    Brian Clendinen
    @BrianClendinen

    8. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

    The King of Stuff. Duh.

    Jorden Peterson, when he has scientists on there is nothing better. It’s like high-level top-notch discussions that happen at top-notch universities and we get to listen in.  When it comes to long-form and hard sciences he is the best podcaster.  Econ talk used to be the best and is still great but when there is a great conversation going on just over an Hour with Econ talk is just way to short. Although I would say in a given year Econtalk still has the ability to be the best podcast on the science side.

    • #17
  18. Scott Wilmot Member
    Scott Wilmot
    @ScottWilmot

    4. Two under reported stories that interest me are

    1 – how we sacrifice our children to make abortion tainted vaccines and use humanized mice to make monoclonal antibody treatments

    2 – the attempt by the pope of the Catholic Church to destroy the traditional Latin Mass.

    7. Best book: Christus Vincit by Athanasius Schneider and Diane Montagna.

    8. Best podcast: SubPar with Colt Knost and Drew Stolz.

    • #18
  19. James Salerno Inactive
    James Salerno
    @JamesSalerno
    1. Best Republican Politician of 2021 – Lauren Boebert. Where have you been all my life?
    2. Worst Republican Politician of 2021 – Adam Kinzinger. There are only a few reasons where a man is allowed to cry, and trespassing isn’t one of them.
    3. Best Democrat Politician of 2021 – I hate all Commies
    4. Worst Democrat Politician of 2021 – Gavin Newsom. Fraud on all levels.
    5. Best Political Play of 2021 – Matt Walsh starting a GoFundMe for AOC’s Abuela to pay for her (allegedly) hurricane-damaged home. To prove that the private sector is much more efficient than whining to government to fix everything. He raised over $100,000 in 12 hours and the family swiftly rejected the money and shut down his campaign.
    6. Worst Political Play of 2021 – Everything to do with medical tyranny and vaccine passports. All of you “it’s just a mask” folk are going to be regretting this in two years.
    7. Most Underreported Story of 2021 – The BLM Christmas parade massacre. That was like, barely a month ago and it’s already under the rug…
    8. Most Overreported Story of 2021 – The January 6th mildly inconvenient trespassing incident. Worse than 9/11. More bloody than the Civil War.
    9. Best Movie of 2021 – I saw maybe 3 movies this year, the new Spider-Man was ok I guess
    10. Best TV Show of 2021 – I don’t watch TV
    11. Best Book of 2021 – Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism by Scott Horton
    12. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021 – Michael Malice’s Your Welcome always makes me think.
    • #19
  20. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):
    Best/worst political play: “Let’s Go Brandon” rose organically and has highlighted Dem and media complicity and stupidity

    Curiously, it had nothing to do with the Republican Elite™.

    • #20
  21. She Member
    She
    @She

    All good responses.  Truth is, I don’t know much about some of these categories.  I actually think the best book of the year is the one my sister sent me about raising chickens, but that’s just me.

    I really hope that some room can be made in the “most underreported story” category for the dishonest, and sometimes it seems,deliberate and downright criminally incompetent “leadership” provided over the course of this pandemic by the WHO, the CDC, the university think tanks and as it appears all wrapped up in the glib little package known as Anthony Fauci.  Almost every guideline, almost every diktat, almost every prediction, almost every word uttered by any of them has turned out to be false.

    And, to judge by the non-response of the media, they simply couldn’t care less.

    Case in point:

    Yesterday, the CDC (science!) revised its estimate that, as of December 18, 73% of new Covid cases were linked to Omicron. Their new number?  Only 23% of new Covid cases, as of December 18, were linked to Omicron.

    How in the Wide World of Sports does this august and magisterial body of scientists get it so wrong?  73% versus 23%???  Of course, they fall back on the “well, this is all new to us, so it’s hardly surprising we got it wrong” defense.  But that doesn’t excuse the certainty which always accompanies the delivery of their, and that lying little twerp’s, latest ukases.

    The most recent report says that, as of December 25, 59% of all new infections are caused by Omicron.  No word yet on when that number will be revised.

    Meanwhile, the Biden administration announced that it’s begun reducing, and in some cases stopping, shipments of monoclonal antibody treatments such as Regeneron, because they’re not effective against Omicron, and I was reading somewhere this morning (can’t find it again) that at least one doctor is claiming that lives have been lost because–surprise–the estimate of Omicron cases was so badly askew.

    The media should be screaming bloody murder about this, and so much else.  But, crickets.

    I think, 100 years from now, this will be viewed as one of the greatest civilizational fails of all time.

    • #21
  22. Victor Tango Kilo Member
    Victor Tango Kilo
    @VtheK
    1. 6. Best TV Show of 2021

      “Squid Game.”

    • #22
  23. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny
    1. Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021

    Best: Greg Abbott.  He seemed like he made all the perfect moves to me

    Worst: Lynn Cheney.  She trashed her career

    1. Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Best: Joe Manchin

    Worst: Joe Biden

    Two very different Joe’s.

    1. Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Best: Joe Manchin rejection of BBB

    Worst: pulling out of Afghanistan  Disaster which will be remembered in American history

    1. Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    Under: Afghanistan.  Why is this off the current news?  The horrors going on there now are immense.

    Over: Jan 6

    1. Best Movie of 2021
    2. Best TV Show of 2021
    3. Best Book of 2021

    I can answer all three with the same answer: No clue; I am pop culture illiterate.

    1. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021

    God Splaining.  A group of Dominican friars explaining the faith while having fun. ;)

    • #23
  24. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    1. Best Podcast (on Ricochet or elsewhere) of 2021 – Land of Confusion

    Yes, especially the episode where they interviewed me!  [I’m so conceited…lol]

    • #24
  25. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Columbo (View Comment):
    Underreported story = Abandoned citizens in Afghanistan/2020 Biden Coup;

    Sadly I agree wholeheartedly.  

    • #25
  26. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Jon Gabriel, Ed. (View Comment):
    Best: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The dude is just killing it and is perfectly set up for 2024 (of course, it’s still very early).

    Agree, except that I lean to Greg Abbott in Texas who is doing just about the same things plus building his own wall across the border.  For soeme reason he doesn’t get the same media exposure.

    • #26
  27. BastiatJunior Member
    BastiatJunior
    @BastiatJunior

    Best/Worst Republican Politician of 2021

    Ron Desantis/There is a depressingly large number of candidates for the worst, but the year 2021 belongs to Liz Cheney.

    Best/Worst Democrat Politician of 2021

    Eric Addams/All of the leftist government prosecutors.

    Best/Worst Political Play of 2021

    Governor Abbott building the wall/The “Defund the police” movement.

    Most Underreported/Overreported Story of 2021

    The possibility that the Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot might have been an FBI hoax.  Keeping an open mind on that one.  /  Jan 6. riots of course.

    Best Movie of 2021

    The only movie I saw was “Spiderman:  No way home”

    Best Book of 2021

    “Rigged.”  I haven’t finished it yet.

    Best TV Show of 2021

    “Midnight Mass” on Netflix.

    Best Podcast

    I don’t listen to podcasts.

    • #27
  28. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    On Ricochet podcasts, I really need to put in a good word on Jay Nordlinger’s Music For a While.  I’m a latecomer to his blog (he was a NeverTrumper, but like all things in life one must forgive and forget).  His music selections and his knowledge of the music is such a great pick-me-up.  

    As a New Yorker, I agree with those who mentioned Eric Adams.  But I want to see results before I give him accolades.  But there is no way to do worse than de Blasio.

    • #28
  29. Eustace C. Scrubb Member
    Eustace C. Scrubb
    @EustaceCScrubb

    Percival (View Comment):

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):
    Best/worst political play: “Let’s Go Brandon” rose organically and has highlighted Dem and media complicity and stupidity

    Curiously, it had nothing to do with the Republican Elite™.

    In fact, many of the Elites are quite upset with the uncouthness of it all and wish it would go away.

    • #29
  30. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):

    Percival (View Comment):

    Eustace C. Scrubb (View Comment):
    Best/worst political play: “Let’s Go Brandon” rose organically and has highlighted Dem and media complicity and stupidity

    Curiously, it had nothing to do with the Republican Elite™.

    In fact, many of the Elites are quite upset with the uncouthness of it all and wish it would go away.

    It used to be that advancing policies that improved the lot of Americans individually and collectively was enough. Actually, it still is. Making the elites cry bitter tears of shame and regret is just the cherry on top.

    • #30
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