Perhaps it’s due to the cold weather, but I am ready to send 2013 into the history books. My view as a resident of Washington, D.C., might be a bit clouded, compared to others who live outside of the so-called “bubble,” but my thoughts on 2013 can be summed up with four words: Is it over yet?
It started off well enough. Leaving personal politics aside, our nation inaugurated President Barack Obama to his second term. He was the third Democrat to win the majority of votes two times, and one of only 11 presidents to do so in our nation’s history. The president’s approval ratings at his inauguration were in the high 50s — not a bad place to be after four years in office. But this is where the good news ends.
Fast forward to today, when Obama’s approval ratings stand in the high 30s, matching those of former President George Bush’s at the exact same moment in his second term.
And then there is Congress. Would you believe that Congress has a 9 percent approval rating? Actually, it’s likely that most people know that fact, as practically everyone I speak with thinks all the elected officials in Congress should be tossed out of office. According to Public Policy Polling, the 113th Congress is less popular than the Department of Motor Vehicles, jury duty and root canals. On the plus side, however, Congress is slightly more popular than serial killers.
The first session of the 113th Congress might go down as one of the least productive legislative sessions in history. Both the House of Representatives (led by the Republicans) and the Senate (led by the Democrats) managed to achieve absolutely nothing of value for the American people during 2013. There were high hopes: the farm bill, immigration reform and most important to senior financial executives: comprehensive tax reform.
The most notable thing coming out of this Congress, however, was deadlock. Sure, there were filibusters (well technically one actual filibuster led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and one 21-hour speech by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), but no real legislative accomplishments to take to voters in 2014.
This was the year of the government shutdown. In 2013, for the first time since 1995, the United States government shuttered its doors for 16 days. Though the government has technically shut down approximately 20 times since 1980, the recent shutdown was the first one of the 24-hour news cycle and it was not well received by citizens. The reason for the shutdown was the fight between Republicans and Democrats on funding the government while also attempting to defund the president’s signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act (also referred to as “Obamacare”).
Members of Congress came to their senses and agreed to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling with mere hours to spare. What did we gain from the shutdown? Most notably, a picture of our brave veterans being barred from the open-air World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.
This was also the year many major provisions of Obamacare were implemented. Continuing with the “Washington is broken theme,” the website to register for health insurance was, well, broken. Almost two months into the open enrollment period, the website is still broken. The Obama administration released the numbers of those who had signed up for health insurance totaled 106,000, which is far below the estimated 500,000 that were expected to register in the first month.
Much like President George H.W. Bush’s “no new taxes pledge,” President Obama will forever be attached to his “if you like your insurance, you can keep it” promise to the millions of Americans that have already been informed or are expected to have their health insurance cancelled.
And, Still ...
With all that 2013 was, as I write this, it still is not done. The month of December is expected to be busy and as anyone knows, a month is a very long time in the political world. Congress is still debating the budget, which is an after-effect of the shutdown. Leading the budget talks are Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Both have made it clear that there is a good chance they will not make the Dec. 13 deadline for an agreement.
Ryan is pushing hard on major cuts to social programs, while Murray is pushing for $1 trillion in tax increases aimed at corporations and wealthy Americans. While Dec. 13 has no legal binding, it does inch the nation closer to the deadline of Jan. 15, 2014 at which time the government could shut down again. Ah, the adage that fits here: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
A new year is at our doorstep. Will 2014 be better or worse than 2013? Will it be a year of compromise or continued confrontation? As a cynic, I plan to hope for the best while preparing for the worst.