The Predictions!

1. California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, aka AOC, will be the top contenders for the Democrat's presidential nominee. Both conclude their terms in January 2027.

   I disagree with much of their politics, but both present themselves and speak a thousand times better than Vice President Kamala Harris ever could.

   Either will put up a formidable fight to be President #48.

   1a. Gavin for Democrat Presidential nominee

   1b. AOC for Democrat Presidential nominee

   1c. Other?

2. Gavin names AOC as his VP running mate.

   2a. AOC for Dem VP nom

   2b. No way - she’ll be the Dem prez nom!

3. Kamala retreats from the public eye for a few months to lick her wounds and regroup.

   Then she campaigns to replace Gavin as Governor of California.

   It won't be the cakewalk she likely expects. As of November 7, 2024, with almost two-thirds of votes counted, Trump has nearly 40% of California. The long-time, one-party, blue state is primed for some decent gubernatorial competition from Republicans and/or Independents.

   3a. Kamala becomes the next CA Gov.

   3b. Kamala loses the CA Gov race and fades into the political shadows.

   3c. Kamala leaves politics with no CA Gov run; rakes in millions on book tours.

   3d. Other?

4. Tim Walz fades into political oblivion.

   4a. Who is Walz?

   4b. Other?

5. Vance earns the Republican presidential nomination.

   5a. Vance for Rep prez nom

   5b. Other?

6. Vance names Tulsi Gabbard to be his VP running mate.

   6a. Tulsi for Rep VP nom

   6b. Nope - she’ll be the Rep prez nom vs AOC for the Dems.

   6c. Other?

7. The Republican Party is officially reborn as the Unity Party.

   7a. Yay, Unity!

   7b. Don’t mess with the GOP

8. P'Nut the Squirrel, decked out in red, white, and blue, is the new party symbol for the moderate right (whether still “Republican Party” or new “Unity Party”).

   OK, this one is unlikely, but it would be awesome!

   8a. Justice for P’Nut! (and for Fred the Raccoon)

   8b. Um, no.

Bonus Prediction (disproven as of 20 Jan 25)

Despite losing the election, Kamala will still become the first female US President.

• Biden steps down before Inauguration Day, ending his legacy by crowning Kamala as the first female President of the United States, even if only for a few short days or weeks.

  I suspect he dislikes her immensely for being part of the coup when Dems kicked him to the curb.

  But he is also prideful. Taking credit for making her the first female VP and the first female POTUS would certainly salvage and cement his 50-year political legacy.

  Extra points to Biden for transitioning from 1970s racist segregationist... to author of the devastating 1994 Crime Bill... to anointer of the first female person-of-color VP and POTUS.

OR

• Kamala uses the 25th Amendment to seize the presidency from Biden for the last few weeks of their term, securing her place in history as the first female POTUS. And as the first person to invoke the 25th to oust a president.

  Ever prideful and power-hungry, I don't think Kamala can stand the idea of being "THIS CLOSE!" and not achieving that pinnacle of her career.

  During her concession speech, she laid the groundwork to continue as a leader in the fight against Orange Man Bad. Making herself the first female POTUS would certainly bolster that effort.

  The Cabinet and/or the designated Congressional body concur, even if they dislike her, to push through a few last legislative actions that were too extreme even for Biden. And for the privilege of being part of history by ensuring the Democrats can claim the first female POTUS.

  Biden pushes back for a minute. The Democrat Machine forces his hand, as they did after his disastrous debate performance, and he relinquishes control.

• Under either option, Kamala’s coronation as the first female US President is complete.

Comment below on with which predictions you think will prove out. Looking forward to watching the show play out on the political stage.

At 19 years old, I knew with absolute certainty that I did not want to have children.

I don’t dislike kids. They’re adorable and innocent, and they’re curious about the world in ways we forget to embrace when we become adults. But for deeply complex, personal reasons, I made the conscious choice to not become a mother.

A series of life experiences and hea…

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The vitriol on both sides of US politics is completely out of control.

If we don't stop what's happening, the assassination attempt on former President Trump on 13 Jul 24 will only accelerate the hate, violence, and lack of respect for our fellow humans across the country.

The current level of public rage and division is irrational. It lacks basis in, ignores, conflates, misrepresents, or exaggerates facts. It lacks integrity when discussing opposing views.

Both sides are guilty!

But most US citizens do not subscribe to either of the extremes that are perpetuated in much of the mainstream media and by certain hate-filled individuals on social media platforms.

That is not who we are, collectively, as a country.

Most of us love our country. We value our freedoms. We recognize the privileges we have living in the US versus so many other countries in world (and I've spent time in many of them).

Most of us are in the political middle.

We care about our personal safety, our ability to provide for our families, economic security, good healthcare, and basic freedoms, including freedom of speech. We value our ability to work hard striving for the American Dream and our ability to help our fellow humans in our own country and elsewhere.

We care about our national security, including a secure border. We value our ability to garner respect on the world stage (though that is sorely lacking right now, again, as someone who spent many years in other countries).

We're supposed to be a free country.

The First Amendment is first for a reason. Freedom of speech is the bedrock of a free society.

It means you and I both have the right to have and to share our own values and beliefs. We both have a right to speak our truths and to seek and participate in communities who share our views.

The beauty of America is that we have the right to disagree, to debate, to educate ourselves about the things we care about.

And we have a right to change our minds when presented with new information.

We have the right to peaceably assemble.

And so does the other side!

We need to relearn the art of negotiation and positive compromise to find a middle ground on the issues that are so important to all of us.

That includes, critically, taking time to really listen to and consider the perspectives, experiences, and concerns of everyone.

We do not live in a black-and-white world.

Everything is shades of gray, and those shades change when viewed in different lights.

There is room to meet in the middle.

We can support each other in the name of preserving our collective freedoms, protecting our great nation, and supporting our fellow humans. Including their right to have different beliefs, values, and opinions than ours.

Some of my best friends, as well as public figures I respect greatly, hold very different political, religious, and other stances than me across a broad range of issues. We come from many different backgrounds. I enjoy talking with them and listening to their views, their perspectives, and their unique experiences.

The people who don't agree with me are those with whom I’ve had the deepest and most thought-provoking conversations. I learn so much from those who experience and see the world differently than I.

I'm a better person for it.

If you and I disagree, it does not make you or me evil.

We are all human beings. We all strive to be happy, healthy, and successful - whatever that means to each of us.

We must stop fighting each other. Instead, let’s strive to better understand each other, even when we don’t see eye-to-eye.

We must respect our differences, and we must preserve our right to exist and express ourselves within those differences. All of us.

We are on the verge of losing everything that makes us what we are…

…and everything that makes us the country that people from all over the world come to every single day, in search of a better life.

We cannot control what others do or say, whether on "our side" or "their side." We do not need to follow the crowd, regardless of with which segments of society we are aligned.

We can choose better for ourselves and for our country. Every one of us can control our own actions, our own words, our own attitudes.

We can choose to be part of the solution, instead of adding fuel to the fire that is on track to ultimately destroy us all.

United we stand. Divided we fall.

It's time to unite under the umbrella of our shared humanity, so we can all move forward to a better future.

Together.

You see through people, past their facade, past all they want everyone to believe about them, about the situation. It’s so clear, ever since you were a little girl. Year after year, you learn again that your intuition and instincts are right, to a disconcerting degree.

It’s annoying, really. Life would be much simpler if you didn’t see so much.

Your ability to trust is decimated. It’s not that you don’t want to trust. You wish you could. But each time you push aside the whispered warning in your head, you regret it. Every time.

You know instinctively what people are (or are not) capable of, whether public figure, stranger, family, lover, friend, or foe. And they always show themselves, eventually. Right again.

Those around you say your imagination is getting the best of you. That you’re crazy, or paranoid, or jaded, or broken. Maybe you are all of that.

Whatever. None of that means your intuition is wrong.

They criticize you for expressing fear or concern about a person or a situation. They say you’re too judgmental, that just because you’ve encountered some bad things doesn’t mean everyone is bad.

Maybe. But just because someone isn’t at the far end of evil doesn’t mean they’re good, either. Bad is a spectrum. Anyone is capable of anything under the right, or perhaps wrong, circumstances.

Others make you question yourself and second guess your intuition. Even though others are often wrong about who they trust. And they’re nearly always wrong when they say what you know in your gut can’t possibly be true.

So, why do you still listen to those who doubt you and who lead you to doubt yourself? Why do you trust the others more than yourself, when you know better by now?

This is the messed up part. Despite all you’ve seen, you still so badly want to be wrong when you glimpse a person’s darkness, especially when no one else sees it (yet). No matter how many times your intuition and instincts prove to be correct, you can’t help wishing they weren’t.

So, you choose to let the others convince you to ignore what you know at your core. Those are the times you’re wrong, and your silenced doubts prove justified.

Best case, it’s quite benign, like trusting the server’s meal recommendation. Worst case, well….

Trust yourself. Protect yourself. And to hell with the others.

Their complexity is carefully hidden by what they choose to present to the world as they go about their days.

• A smile celebrates openness, love, and joy. Or it’s denying an inner torment.

• A show of confidence represents hard-won victories and learned lessons well applied. Or it’s overcompe…

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My logical mind well knows all the things:

“Progress, not perfection.”

“Done is better than perfect.”

“Just ship it.”

But my demon taunts me with all my flaws, fueling my futile efforts toward impossible ideals that most don’t even care about. And those who do care, well, they always find som…

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Everyone has to start again at some point.

Especially when everything you thought was…

suddenly isn’t.

It’s surprising.

It’s painful.

It’s terrifying.

It’s…

freedom!

From the chaos of my mind, feelings of optimism and joy, anger and irrationality, and everything in between spilled onto page after page over years. Until I abruptly lost that passion. More accurately, it was stolen, though that is a story for another day.

I created PontificaMuse to reclaim the catharsis of simply writing. I have no idea where this path will lead. My goal is only to rediscover my voice and perhaps amuse, inspire, and occasionally commiserate with others along the way.