SACRAMENTO – How do you summarize or understand 2024? It was a year of upheaval, division, winners and losers. And perhaps most troubling, a year that has exposed fault lines in American democracy that sometimes seem too wide to cross.
Our columnists Anita Chabria and Mark Z. Barabak continue the tradition of closing out December with a little perspective and a sprinkling of crystal balls for what lies ahead. As 2025 begins, here's how they're leaving the old behind and ushering in the new.
Chabria: The word I hear most often as we start the new year is exhaustion. Many of us can't even remember the big events of 2024 outside of a unique presidential campaign. But we had them: In March, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine continued, and recently a Syrian dictator was unexpectedly overthrown. Taylor Swift eventually stopped touring and Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested for sex trafficking. We even had the Summer Olympics in Paris, which seems to have been about 300 years ago.
But all that was eclipsed by a presidential election that left half America jubilant and half America reeling; At the end of the day, the popular vote was almost evenly split None of the candidates achieved 50%. So much for the mandate.
If exhaustion is the word for ending 2024, I suggest “commitment” as the word for 2025. How committed are Republicans to implementing Trump's campaign promise to fundamentally remake America by kicking out immigrants and implementing conservative social policies like further restrictions on abortion? Access? And how committed and capable are Democrats to regroup and oppose these plans?
What do you think? How do you feel as the year comes to an end?
Barabak: I feel both good and sad, but that's because I'm not letting things outside my control – earthquakes, asteroids, crushingly disappointing election results – get me down. But this is not a self-help column or a prescription for a better (or more immunity-friendly) life. That's why I stick with our mission to evaluate the past year and look forward.
If I were to choose a word for 2025, I would probably choose “curious.” I'm curious to see what 2025 brings with a president bent on unrest (war with Panama, anyone?) who, as you suggest, is operating with the flimsiest to non-existent mandates.
In my view, Trump was elected primarily to curb inflation – for example, lowering the oft-discussed prices of eggs and bacon – and to secure the country's southern border with Mexico. We could search deeply and would probably find exactly zero people in America who voted for Trump because they wanted the US to take control of Greenland.
I don't want to deny that there is deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the government and politicians, a widespread feeling that the status quo isn't working, and a desire to throw Washington – and Sacramento too – into turmoil. But random, incessant chaos? We'll see how this turns out. If you think the 2024 campaign was wild – a change in Democratic candidates, two assassination attempts on Trump, too many weird campaign moments (Hannibal Lecter! Arnold Palmer's penis!) to potentially list them here – so buckle up.
Chabria: True words, Mark. We'll go along. As you and I have discussed in the past, giving our new president both respect and a chance is best for America and democracy. But I also think it's important that we remember that Trump has a history of lying and breaking laws, as evidenced by both his criminal convictions and his loss in a civil sexual abuse lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll.
His actions show us that he cannot be trusted. But we find ourselves in the strange times where we are rewriting recent history to mitigate the unpleasant aspects while preparing to repeat it.
For example, Trump's future “border czar” Thomas Homan said he plans to not only reinstate family separation policies, but also to give the American-born children (and therefore citizens) of undocumented immigrants the painful option of separation from them parents or are deported with them.
Some Trump supporters have said they like his bold speeches but believe they are just posturing. The coming year will be a revelation in this regard. Whether you trust Trump or not, we're about to find out if he's all talk.
But it's not just Trump. We have seen the people around him, most notably Elon Musk, seize power and move quickly to impose their self-serving agendas on us.
Barabak: A candidate elected as the populist tribune of the aggrieved working class surrounds himself with a team of billionaires and names Foxes to guard state chicken coops and eliminate programs that serve many of these hard-pressed voters.
Only in America!
But I don't want to be too much of a jerk.
Legendary Washington Post political cartoonist Herbert Block, aka Herblock, drew Richard Nixon with a menacing five o'clock shadow for years. After Nixon was elected president in 1968, Herblock drew a freshly shaved Nixon, based on the theory that every new president deserves “a clean shave.” (That's not me The old, people. I just read a lot of history. And various political little things.)
So there's something sporty and noble about making a fresh start and leaving the past behind, as you think.
However, we agree that too much memory loss is a danger – especially when you expect an emboldened 78-year-old, twice accused and convicted of a felony leopard to suddenly change his place. Let's hope for the best, but don't be under any illusions and don't rush in. We saw how Nixon's presidency unfolded.
On a happier note, you were pretty impressed with Beyoncé's NFL halftime performance at the Ravens-Texans Christmas showdown.
Chabria: Like all of us! Beyoncé is the queen of her field and has reminded us all what fun looks and sounds like. We can all use a dose of this right now.
But Beyoncé also reminds us how important it is to know yourself and assert yourself. Of all the many forgotten history lessons of recent years, hers is one of the few with a happy ending. In 2016, after appearing at the Country Music Assn. Awards, there was backlash for allegedly abandoning her genre and diving into the boot-stomping, flag-waving – very white – world of country.
Looking back at her recent NFL appearance and the release of her country album “Act II: Cowboy Carter” and It's very clear, she insisted.
Sometimes resistance is simply pushing through one day at a time.
With this in mind and in view of the journalism under attack, I would like to end this year with a thank you. Thank you to all of the readers who have stood with Mark and me in this election for your willingness to hear our views. I won't speak for Mark, but for myself I generally don't care whether Republican or Democrat, but I do care about writing with compassion and truth.
Whatever comes next, my New Year's resolution is to continue to stay true to these core principles. Any final thoughts from you, Mark?
Barabak: Just one question: Will you think less of me as a colleague and a person if I confess that I had no idea about Beyoncé's halftime performance until you mentioned it? I guess I was too immersed in my history books and absorbed political trivia.
But like you, I want to thank our readers for sticking with us and reinforce this sentiment of compassion and truth. I also hope that we managed to keep you informed and occasionally entertained along the way. And a special thank you to those of you paying subscribers who have helped keep the lights on.
We wish each and every one of you – Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Vegetarians – a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
See you in 2025.