Forum: What Are Your Predictions For 2015?

Every week on Monday morning , the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher's Forum, short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture, or daily living. This week's question: What Are Your Predictions For 2015?

 The Noisy Room :

1. Gitmo will be emptied and closed.
2. The Republicans will facilitate and fund the full implementation of
Amnesty.
3. The Republicans will facilitate and fund the full implementation of
Obamacare.
4. The Republicans will support and assist Obama with the Trans-Pacific
Partnership.
5. Riots and violence will increase across the US and you will see a
nationalization by Obama of our police forces.
6. Net Neutrality and censorship will be implemented on the Internet.
7. There will be a stock market correction or crash.
8. Inflation will begin to spiral out of control.
9. The dollar will be replaced as the international monetary standard.
10. Christians and Jews will see increased persecution worldwide.
11. Russia will bring more satellite countries into the fold and will
encroach on Europe.
12. ISIS will march on and spread the caliphate further.
13. China will expand their military.
14. Venezuela will finish going bankrupt.
15. Russia, China and Iran will gain a much bigger toe hold in South
America.
16. There will be a rapid rise in the illegal alien influx, cartel
violence and border skirmishes.
17. There will be a major terrorist attack in the US.
18. IRS abuses will get even worse in the coming year.
19. Taxation will increase on many fronts.
20. Employment will continue to diminish for Americans and all economic
indicators will be further manipulated by the government and become
utter fabrications of reality. It will be one aspect of a massive
propaganda blitz by the US government to keep Americans docile.

My last prediction is that I will not be invited to any cocktail parties
as I can clear a room in 10 seconds flat. ; )

The Right Planet:I'm not really one to make predictions, since I always seem to be wrong. But, I'll take a stab at it ...

• The national debt will continue to skyrocket (as always) and nothing will be done about it.

• Obama will continue his racial agitation, despite the fact he's the first "black" president in U.S. history who promised a "post-racial" America.

• The radical left will continue to search for the next Michael Brown in order to in order to whip even more racial animus.

• Obama will continue to dismantle the military.

• The GOP establishment will do nothing to stop Obamacare, despite campaign promises to the contrary
• Another massive new wave of illegal immigrants.

• The GOP establishment will continue to push presidential candidates like Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, despite the base's lack of enthusiasm for these establishment types.

• The left will push for Marxist radicals like Elizabeth Warren as their next presidential candidate in 2016.

• Despite the fact the GOP won a major victory in the 2014 midterms, they'll still act like they lost.

• Obama will unleash the most radical agenda ever seen in the history of the United States, because he feels he's got nothing to lose.

Sorry, I think it's going to be a sh*tty year for the USA. And I think it's only going to get worse.

Laura Rambeau Lee at Right Reason : 2015 is shaping up to be a defining year for America. Lame duck President Obama will continue to push through executive orders, further undermining the balance of power and the rule of law. Even with Republican majorities in the House and Senate I don’t see them effectively challenging him. One or two will speak out, but will be vilified as radical right extremists by the left and also by the establishment GOP.

I am afraid the events at the end of 2014, with thousands of people protesting against the police in Ferguson, MO and New York, are a precursor of things to come in 2015. The left will continue its agenda of dividing our country by race, religion, class, and cries for social justice.

As we head into the 2016 election season, younger voters will become involved in the political races based on social issues, such as same sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana and align themselves with Democrat candidates or Libertarians. Conservative Republicans will need to find a strong voice who will speak out for fiscal restraint, smaller government, and traditional values, or we can expect to see Jeb Bush being propped up as the frontrunner.

As the world continues to become more dangerous we will be drawing down our military and will be unable and unwilling to get involved.

While we have seen a little improvement in the job market and the economy, as new regulations roll out expect small businesses to take a bigger hit and many will close their doors for good. The cost of doing business in this country has become punitive for the average small business owner.

I hope I am wrong, and the Republican led Congress will work towards gutting Obamacare, cutting punitive regulations from the EPA and CFPB to name a couple, and not approving any funding for Obama’s illegal amnesty action, but I just don’t see it happening.

JoshuaPundit : Hmmm...OK, domestic politics.  I'm not prepared to predict  how the new congress will behave, but  I will say that if it simply becomes business as usual, you will see a major revolt by the Republican Party base to the extent where we may end up with a third party that ultimately replaces it.That's almost certain if the GOP leadership tries to foist someone like Jeb Bush on the party as a presidential nominee.I actually expect the new congress to attack some areas, like EPA regulations that restrict coal. And don't be surprised if you see increased opposition to the president's amnesty bill, especially when it comes to attacking its funding. It was the one area Boehner left open, not because he wanted to but because he had to give the conservatives in congress something in order to get votes to pass cromnibus in the House.

Don't be surprised if the Supremes gut ObamaCare. What will happen after that is anyone's guess, since the health insurance industry has been monkeyed with almost beyond repair and will take some time to come back.

I also predict that we will see increased tension  between the president and the new congress, especially when it comes to his appointments, investigation of the various scandals surrounding the White House, his amnesty and the funding of certain presidential executive orders.

I think the GOP nomination will boil down to a choice between Rand Paul,  Mike Huckabee,  and Jeb Bush. I don't think Dr. Carson will run in 2016, nor will Ted Cruz as much as I 'd like to see him do so, but I'm happy to be wrong on that one. Either one may end up as VP candidates.

I see the chances of Hillary Clinton running as no more than 50-50, because of her health, her unpopularity withthe party's far Left progressives  and because of continued revelations on how horribly she ran the State Department, including the Benghazi fiasco. Elizabeth Warren is a more likely choice, I think.

Other domestic predictions; I regret to say that I think we're headed for a major terrorism attack, along with a huge scandal concerning our domestic intel setup. I see it as being an attack that the media will attempt to paint as being carried out by a so-called 'lone wolf', but will in reality be one aided and abetted by our overseas enemies, just like 9/11 was. I hope I'm wrong on that one.

The economy will continue about how it's been, but probably with slightly higher interest rates come midyear. The economy is a colossal con, with real unemployment and real CPI inflation far higher and our growth and GDP far lower than we're being told, but so far we remain the best game in town in terms of relatively safe foreign investment. The reckoning will come in very gradual stages after Obama is safely out of office.

Baseball will have a resurgence next year. This year was about getting rid of the stench of the steroids scandal. 

Foreign Affairs; We will continue to flail around in Iraq, with this president gradually increasing troops on the ground. His real object is to have Iran doing more of the fighting against Islamic State, with the result, of course, that Iran will control Iraq as part of the nuclear armed Shi'ite bloc they wish to create. 2015 will also likely be the year that Iran explodes a successful nuclear weapon unless Israel stops them. Obama will not.


Syria may well see a cease fire and an arrangement between Assad and IS to share the country, midwifed by Putin. The way things are now, neither side can win but both sides need time to consolidate their gains and lick their wounds.

Israel will continue its move to the right politically, with Naftali Bennett continuing to rise in popularity. Israel will continue to expand its increasingly closer ties with India, China and East Asia. The EU will continue to become more hostile to Israel, perhaps even to the point of sanctions by countries like Ireland, the UK (at least in the short run) Spain, Portugal,  Scandinavia, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.Other countries like Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Balkan states  and other eastern European countries will simply ignore any sanctions.

While the Obama Administration will likely veto the current UNSC resolution to unilaterally force a Palestinian state by the Palestinian Authority,  the Obama regime  will almost certainly abstain and allow another one to pass if it's  put before the UNSC after the Israeli elections in March. The Obama team is attempting  to interfere in the Israeli elections to get the Left wing Labor Party elected  and they will want to see if they can mange it before taking the political flak of allowing a UN diktat to pass..which would be opposed vociferously by congress. 

Of course once that happens the relationship between America and Israel is going to change quite a bit,which was what this president has wanted all along. Since getting Labor/Hatnua elected with enough seats to form a governing coalition is highly unlikely, I think that scenario is what we're ultimately looking at. Expect continued terrorist attacks on Israel in this current Third Intifada, which will be followed by a major crackdown boo-hooed by all the usual suspects.

Russia will likely attempt to assert its authority over one or more of the Baltic States...not by invasion, but by simple intimidation ala' Finland. I'd say Estonia is the most likely target.

Japan and  Australia will rearm and increase their defense spending.They will also increase their security cooperation, which will likely include Vietnam and the Philippines. Germany will do the same; expect an enlargement of the Bundeswehr and security coordination with its neighbors like Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Expect UKip to do exceptionally well in the British Elections, And while French elections aren't until 2017 unless the socialists and the extremely unpopular Hollande is forced out,  expect Marine Le Pen's right leaning Front National (FN) to continue to gain massive ground. 



 Rhymes With Right : Well, my friends, after having had a mixed year making projections for 2014, I'm once again at it. I'll once again stare into that foggy crystal ball and catch a glimpse into the future -- undoubtedly with mixed results. Each of my four categories will have a prediction that I feel is almost certain to come true, one I feel is somewhat more iffy but still probable, and one that is a long-shot and will in twelve months be seen either as prophetic genius or utter folly.

World Affairs

• Safe Prediction -- Benjamin Netanyahu will remain Prime Minister of Israel following a challenge by a more secular and more leftist coalition. The reason for his success -- which will not be expected only weeks prior to new elections -- will be a renewed campaign of terrorist attacks on civilians in the wake of UN recognition of a "State of Palestine".
  
• Not-So-Safe Prediction -- Continued North Korean anger over The Interview will lead to more attacks on the American entertainment industry. The target? Online streaming services renting/selling The Interview and Team America: World Police.
  
• Long-Shot Prediction -- King Abdullah of Jordan is overthrown in an Islamist coup.

National Affairs

• Safe Prediction -- Barack Obama will continue to govern using the same playbook as the late Hugo Chavez, issuing executive decrees and usurping Congress' lawmaking role despite the restrictions on executive power contained in the Constitution.
  
• Not-So-Safe Prediction -- There will be an unexpected resignation from the Supreme Court at the end of the 2014-2015 term. This will set the stage for a major confirmation fight and, after the rejection of Obama's nominee, an effort by the President to make a recess appointment to the High Court.
  
• Long-Shot Prediction -- A bipartisan immigration reform bill will be passed by both houses of Congress and be signed by the president. It will have broad support among the American people, but will be rejected by both the progressive wing of the Democrat Party and conservative wing of the Republican Party in Congress.

Texas Affairs

• Safe Prediction -- Despite strong opposition by the grassroots, Joe Straus is again selected as Speaker of the House in the Texas Legislature. When the filing date for the 2016 primary passes in December, a record number of well-funded conservative challengers will have filed to run against incumbent legislators in the Republican primary.
  
• Not-So-Safe Predictions -- The resignation of Steve Munisteri as Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas will result in the election of Tom Mechler by the State Republican Executive Committee. The selection of the current RPT treasurer will be more about interim stability than the long-term direction of the state party, with everyone looking toward a major floor fight at the 2016 convention between former Harris County GOP chairman Jared Woodfill and Dallas County chairman Wade Emmert in which the grassroots will make their voices heard.
  
• Long-Shot Prediction -- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick surprises political observers by being an even-handed consensus builder as the presiding officer over the Texas Senate.

2016 Presidential Politics

• Safe Prediction -- As 2015 ends, the GOP will have a spirited race for the presidential nomination underway, with the leading contenders being Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, and Rand Paul, followed by Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Paul Ryan.
  
• Not-So-Safe Prediction -- Chris Christie does not seek the Republican presidential nomination.
  
• Long-Shot Prediction -- As 2015 ends, the Hillary Clinton juggernaut faces unexpected difficulties in the race for the Democrat presidential nomination. These will come in the form of leaked documents from Hillary's time as Secretary of State, a new Bill Clinton sex scandal that raises questions about Hillary's sensitivity to women alleging sexual abuse/assault, and an unexpectedly strong challenger from the Left.
  

The Glittering Eye :For many years at The Glittering Eye I would do an annual predictions post. Last year I gave up the practice. It wasn't because my track record wasn't pretty good — it was around 85% right — but because like everybody else I never managed to predict the really big stories of the year.

However, I'll get into the spirit of things and give you one prediction. The Supreme Court will decide in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell with a vote of 5-4, Justice Kennedy concurring with the majority. That's the case challenging the paying of federal subsidies to individuals who live in states that did not set up their own healthcare insurance exchanges.

Well, there you have it! Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum. and every  Tuesday morning, when we reveal the weeks' nominees for Weasel of the Week! And remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council, and the results are posted on Friday morning. It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere, and you won’t want to miss it...or any of the other fantabulous Watcher's Council content. And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter..’cause we’re cool like that, y'know?