- Now that 2013 is finally done we can wash away the retrospectives and gifs and listicles of yesteryear and focus on what's bound to happen next.
- First off, we have to deal with the political hangovers from the last few weeks. Congress will need to decide whether it wants to renew the emergency unemployment benefits program. If they don't our economy could suffer a major setback (and, who are we kidding, it's not too stable as it is.)
- And then there is Obamacare. We're still going to be talking about health care a lot in 2014-Jonathan Cohn has some things we should keep in mind amid the grumbling and defending.
- Governing Magazine has a useful list of the big legislative issues that will probably dominate real estate on legislative dockets across the country.
- Also big policy-wise-there are the upcoming decisions set to be announced by the Supreme Court. There are also a few cliffhangers waiting to be resolved in other federal courts.
- Pretty soon, however, the newsmakers and those who cover them will be far more preoccupied with the midterm elections than policy. Fundraisers and donors from both parties are already sketching out their moneymaking plans for the year.
- Here are some candidates you should keep an eye on.
- And, of course, don't forget Rob Ford and Steve Stockman. The Internet definitely won't.
- The fate of Edward Snowden and the United States's surveillance architecturealso hangs in the balance...
- ... as does exactly how much of a mess the Sochi Olympics are likely to be.
- Bill de Blasio is taking the helm in New York City, and Mike Bloomberg has taken his last subway ride as mayor. Does this mean 2014 will be the year of resurgent progressives? Maybe. Maybe not.
- And, if the past proves any useful augury of what's to come, the weirdest and most consequential bits of 2014, well we're going to have to wait and find out what they are. AsAdam Gopnik puts in his essay previewing 2014 in more ephemeral tones, "To be a passenger in history is to be unsure until we get to port-or the lifeboats-and, looking back at the prow of our ship, discover the name, invisible to our deck-bound eyes, that it possessed all along."
Daily Meme: Happy New Year!
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