What is your big political prediction for 2013?

[RandySF]

Mine: Chris Christie will leave the Republican Party and be re-elected as an Independent.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. The Republican Party will be obstructionist assholes.

It's a reach, but mark my words.

[NMDemDist2]

7. ^^^^^ this ^^^^^^^

[doc03]

2. The Republicans in Congress will force the president

to use the 14th Amendment to keep us from defaulting. Then of course they will try and impeach him for doing it.

[Warpy]

3. I think you are probably right there

There's no way he'll be a Democrat. He's far too selfish. However, he's been thoroughly disgusted by the Republicans and will switch to Indie--unless they dangle the 2016 nomination in front of him, which they might.

I tend to think 2013 and 2014 will be fairly quiet, the GOP keeping a lower profile and trying to hang onto the House. There will be far less grandstanding. They'll be trying to look responsible and reasonable.

Starting in mid 2015, all hell will start to break loose, culminating in their convention. The Reagan coalition were told to sit down, shut up and do as they were told in 2012 for the good of the party and their most "electable" candidate, Mitt. Since we know that didn't work out for them, I doubt those people will be as well behaved in 2016. Some of the fights might even be on camera. I hope so. Having courted and used white trash for years, they're overdue for a white trash meltdown finishing their image as the "grownup" party off forever.

The only way that party can survive is if the religiously insane and insanely stupid people Reagan brought in leave to form their own party.

[hrmjustin]

4. Quinn wins in NYC mayors race, Christie holds in NJ, and VA gov race down to the wire but dems win

and take control of the VA senate. I think the economy will slowly improve and the president will have a 60% approval rating by years end. I think a presidential contender on the gop side will have a sex scandal. At least that is what my gaydar says.

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

5. Hmm.

Compromises will be made, at some point, by both sides (likely to differing extents for each side), causing both DU and Freeperville to melt down more than once. The media will at some point announce that the Repug party suddenly has a new lease on life and wasn't crushed by the 2012 election results, after all. The Kochs and their ilk will create some new public outrage from the ground up, successfully steering the public discourse for some time. Norquist won't go away at all and his anti-tax pledge will continue to be taken seriously by the culture at large, with more Repugs signing their names to it. The Speaker of the House will shed tears, now and again. There will be new rising stars for both parties, who will be discussed publicly as potential 2016 candidates.

[overthehillvet]

6. Federal gun control on assault rifles will not happen

The republicans in the House will not pass that legislation. They will obstruct all attempts to outlaw and control assault weapons.

[NMDemDist2]

8. Welcome to DU overthehillvet

[Skittles]

9. and how does that make you feel?

[overthehillvet]

11. I do not feel good at all about that

I have been reading here about people wanting to ban all guns and some others who really get carried away spouting stuff that isn't true about guns. I hear the RW nuts who want not control at all and they scare me.
We need common since laws that protect society but if people get carried away then it will fail to pass congress and strict start laws that are passed will be struck down by SCOTUS and that can be worse.
I am somewhere in the middle on this but what ever we do we must think it out and do it right.

What I also think is that we need to take some steps that protect our kids and teachers now. Most of the gun control laws that I have see discussed will not curtail the problem in our schools for many years if the work at all.

Tough question but zealots on either side just do harm to the discussion.

Sorry there is not an easy answer to this question from me. I guess I'm not that smart.

[Tx4obama]

10. This probably sounds a bit crazy, but ...

I predict that reporters will dig around a bit and find out who the Caucasian man is that was standing between Senator Tim Scott and his brother during the family photo-op session that took place with Biden yesterday at the mock swearing in ceremony.

History would be made by having an openly gay Republican African-American senator in a bi-racial relationship.

I think that would really be awesome

[davidpdx]

12. A Republican will come out of the closet and admit they are gay

Oh well that's an easy guess.

[RandySF]

13. Tim Scott, maybe?