Best Political Stories Of 2013

1. Obama Wins A Few

Of course there are plenty of stories about how this was such a terrible year for the President, but I remember a bunch of significant wins.  Like winning the game of chicken with the Tea Party over the budget shutdown, ending the gridlock caused by filibustering, and having his own Cuban Missile Crisis-style win with Syria over Chemical weapons.
 

2. The Empire Strikes Back

The repeal of the Voting Rights Act is right up there with the Dred Scott decision when it comes to Supreme Court malpractice.

3. Pope Is Dope!

It seems like every other week Pope Francis says or does something so inspiring he gives me another reason to appreciate the Catholic Church beyond that great education I got and the Liberation Theology ministry in Latin America. 

Here’s a good article about him: 
Gawker Heroes: Pope Francis, Our Blessed Hero of Reduced Expectations
 

4. Florida Is A Slave State

It was a hard fought competition but Florida beat Texas, Arizona and Alabama to be the worst state in the nation.  Citizens shooting innocent black people go without reprimand, voter disenfranchisement, blocking access to health care….just awful.

5. Black Is Back

“Fruitvale Station” director Ryan Coogler. Jerod Harris/Getty Images

This is the best year in the history of black film and television. There were so many good black movies that when a bad one came out, it flopped and no one cared. There was too much good stuff to support.

In television there were black dramas, black sitcoms, black reality shows, black game show hosts, black news shows….all of which made enough for studios and networks to make more.
 

6. Black People Dying

The murder rate is down nationwide except if you’re black in Chicago, Philly or East St. Louis.  What can be done to save our communities? 
 

7. Good Politicians Keep Rising

Hillary Clinton still most likely our next president; Elizabeth Warren is now leader of the progressive branch of the Democratic Party; Corey Booker elected to the Senate; Kamala Harris keeps crime busting in California; Wendy Davis a great voice in Texas.  Meanwhile, the GOP still doesn’t have a candidate the entire party can support.
 

8. Racism Unabated

Government officials, television personalities, and random assholes on social media kept a steady stream of racist thought going all year long.

Here’s a great article that breaks it down to a fraction:
The Year in Racial Amnesia
 

9. Mandela

The last of the great moral leaders of the 20th century, along with Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and the only one who actually ran a country.
 

10. The Permanence Of Stupidity

A study found that disproving the deeply held beliefs of someone not only does not convince them what has been disproven is wrong, it makes them hold on to those falsehoods tighter.  

How do we break the cycle?

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