Former NC governor: Three political resolutions that’ll get you through 2025 | Opinion
As planet Earth begins its 249th circumnavigation of the Sun since America’s Revolution began, what can we say about Anno Domini 2024?
Was it the high-water mark of democracy, the zenith of our historic attempt at self-government? A heroic restoration of democracy?
Or was it the absolute worst failure of the electorate in our history? A fascist overthrow of representative democracy? The end of a valiant ideal?
Somewhere in between? Neither the best of times nor the worst of times? It was full of promise, for many promises were made. It fulfilled an ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times!”
Looking ahead to 2025, what should we watch for?
Start with the opening of Congress, when the House struggles to choose a speaker and the Senate votes whether to preserve its filibuster rule. Senators with 4-to-6 years until their next election will likely vote to keep the filibuster as a buffer against radical lawmaking. Democrats in 2013 carved out exemptions for President Obama’s cabinet appointees, but not Supreme Court nominees. Republicans remedied that oversight for Trump in 2017. What now?
Another Balance of Powers test will come as the Senate considers its constitutional duty to “advise and consent” to President Trump’s controversial cabinet appointees. Media influencers and some cable news commentators attacked most of his nominees with swift vengeance. That’s not where to look.
Watch whether a few moderate Republican senators show their mettle. They’ll vote with their unanimous party-line majority for those best qualified. Will they break ranks to protect us from the worst? So far, they have shown Matt Gaetz the exit gate. It’ll go down as “Gaetz-Gate.”
Once the stage is set, we’ll see which hot issues get addressed hard and fast. Like him or not, President Trump will call the priorities. He won, remember? Expect fast action to close our borders to illegal entry. That debate ended when big city mayors couldn’t figure how to send ‘em back to Texas. Will deportations only remove criminals? What becomes of the visa program for guest workers?
Next up will be budget battles. Republicans will demand spending cuts so they can lower taxes. That’s unlikely since Democrats are committed to higher taxes so they can spend more. Don’t expect this to be resolved in 2025. Neither party understands compromise . . . or the burgeoning debt.
Presidential confidants Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will identify a few hundred billion in what they consider “waste, fraud and abuse.” Unelected, they cannot control how Congress votes. Much depends on whose ox is gored. It won’t be any musk ox.
Will 2025 conclude Russia’s brutal-but-stalemated invasion of Ukraine? President Trump has proposed a treaty leaving each side to keep whatever territory it currently occupies after three years of heavy casualties on both sides. Putin’s surge of rockets shows his determination to intimidate Trump. How Trump responds could define his legacy and courage.
The most significant political developments in 2025? Republicans will magnify their microscopic “landslide” victories from 2024, while Democrats convince themselves their progressive campaign wasn’t radical enough. Neither will feel any need to compromise.
Here’s three New Year’s resolutions for 2025.
Don’t judge President Trump by what he says he will do, but by what he does. Why worry about what he says if you don’t believe anything he says? Panama, Greenland and Canada can relax.
Spend less time clicking on those pesky but intriguing messages that pop-up on the laptop. They’re just a media plot to feed us what we like to read so we can become less tolerant, and they can sell more ads.
Finally, realizing that 2025 probably won’t turn out as well as we hope, let’s start thinking more seriously about whether a third major party of moderate voters can or should be organized from the grass roots up.
Stay tuned.