Mornin’ Politocadoes!

In the Last Thursday Politics Thread of 2020, I asked for a better year. I knew going in it wouldn’t be easier. Maybe things could get better. Just maybe, this year would be better than the last.

So, how’d it go?

Well, we kicked things off with the attempted coup. An insurrection occurred on January 6, not nearly a week into the New Year. It failed and Joe Biden was sworn in as President. We also got to 2 new senators in Georgia, officially giving the Democratic party control of Congress. With the Pandemic still in full swing, vaccines began to be rolled out through the country. And for the first time, it seemed like maybe things were going back to normal. We got our Fauci ouchies, a not-completely evil and incompetent politician was running the United States, and maybe real legislation that actually helps people could be passed.

But as the year rolled on, it was clear that 2021 would be a mixed-bag. Hoped for legislation was stymied by a rotating cast of villains, Joe Manchin or Krysten Sinema, or both. Biden’s Build Back Better plan potentially scotched, no movement on enshrining voting rights, a formal truth and reconciliation committee on the January 6th insurrection was bitterly opposed and eventually only a House Select Committee could be created. The cynic in me is once again roused as the Democratic caucus appears to be dead-set on walking into a series of rakes.

We got vaccinated, well, many of us. Anti-vaxxers made themselves known and soon variants of Covid began spreading throughout the world. The vaccines proved to prevent severe illness and death; but there was no going back to normal as even the vaccinated could still contract the illness. With the latest variant as of this writing, Omicron, poised to overtake the world, we are back in a similar situation to last year. The only difference is that everything’s open again. No guardrails other than counting on people wearing masks and being vaccinated now.

So, was it a better year? In many ways, yes. The omnipresent feeling of dread was alleviated. That feeling that not only did the government not represent your interests but also actively hated you was not there. At least not for me. But that doesn’t excuse many of the lingering problems of the previous years. It’s made one thing clear: systemic change must occur because the system we have is teetering on the brink. So here’s to another year, one with some good things happening and bad things happening but always with that eternal hope that all of the struggle will be worth it.

Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, if you have not been vaccinated please consider finding time to get an appointment. If you have had only one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, do not forget about the second dose! THIRD DOSES are now available for anyone over the age of 18! You can get any type of shot you like, provided you have already been double vaccinated. Even if you are vaccinated, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas in accordance with CDC guidelines in regard to your own vaccination status. EVEN VACCINATED INDIVIDUALS CAN STILL GET AND SPREAD IT.