2011 wrap-up: 10 best and worst political news stories

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2011 was full of some really great stories in politics… and some really, really pathetic ones. My wrap-up:

The Ten Best Stories

  1. Rick Perry’s presidential announcement
  2. The death of Osama bin Laden (I hate to celebrate someone’s death, but this was a great moment of vindication for Bush.)
  3. Texas defunding Planned Parenthood
  4. Texas continuing to dominate the job market
  5. The many rulings against Obamacare, Greg Abbott championing the fight against it, and SCOTUS’ decision to hear the case
  6. Campus carry victories in two states
  7. Anything about Tim Tebow
  8. Gabrielle Giffords’ intern
  9. The debt ceiling debates (Though a ridiculously long, unnecessarily complicated process that ended up with the wrong result, it was a fascinating few months and the first time I’ve paid close attention to the nitty-gritty details of what goes on in Washington.)
  10. A surge of conservative legislation in Texas, from the sonogram bill and voter ID to bills that fell just short but have great potential to pass in the next session, such as the TSA “anti-groping” bill

The Ten Most Pathetic Stories

  1. Fast and Furious
  2. Weinergate
  3. Caingate
  4. The Ron Paul newsletter debacle
  5. Gary Johnson’s party switch and extreme overconfidence in his popularity
  6. Texas redistricting
  7. Newt Gingrich copying Perry’s messaging after he figured out it was working
  8. Holder and voter ID
  9. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz outright lying about unemployment to save face for her boss
  10. The entire Occupy Wall Street movement

What’s Next?

  • The race card gets pulled by the Democrats even more than it is now.
  • Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I really do foresee a comeback for Perry. He has by far the best record, and momentum seems to be growing.
  • There’s no way the Supreme Court can rule favorably on Obamacare. Not if they’re doing their job and interpreting the Constitution instead of relying on their own politics.
  • Texas redistricting will hopefully be settled with the original maps. (I’m past hoping for the revocation of Texas’ preclearance requirement, though.)
  • The debt keeps getting bigger.
  • Conservatives tear their hair out even more, but also work harder for a decisive victory in 2012.
  • Brian

    You can call it a “best” or “most pathetic” story depending on your perspective, but Rick Perry’s debate gaffs – particularly “oops” – were huge stories, far overshadowing his campaign announcement.

    • Katie Thompson

      I disagree. The announcement was major news, at least on the right, for quite some time, and I believe it petered out on its own, not because of other stories. The “oops” moments put a dent in the campaign but didn’t severely damage it. People who didn’t already blindly detest him understood that he’s just human – it’s the media and the left that had a field day with them.

      Anyway, these are (obviously) based on my opinion and my perspective.