The 2022 Stories to Start Following Now
Also: a 2022 playlist, Tim Kaine's social media, and champagne cocktails
No Polls, Just Vibes
The weekly word on politics, (usually) free of polls.
Besides Omicron, it was a relatively quiet week:
My final story as an intern for Washington Monthly came out yesterday. You can read it here.
Tim Kaine’s social media is still unhinged.
The 2022 Stories to Start Following Now
As the new year starts, let’s take a look at the political and cultural stories that are worth knowing about before they happen.
Pennsylvania and Georgia Midterms
Both states are electing a Governor and Senator in the midterms, and both will tell us a lot about the state of the nation before 2024.
In Pennsylvania, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is retiring, leaving an open seat that Democrats hope to grab to either increase their majority or offset a loss somewhere else. The frontrunner in the Democratic primary is John Fetterman, the current Lt. Governor and a very unconventional (re: cool) politician.
Meanwhile, the Governor’s seat is also open since Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is term-limited, and current Attorney General Josh Shapiro is all but guaranteed to win the Democratic primary. Pennsylvania has never had a Democratic governor for three terms in a row, so both races will likely end up as nail-biters.
In Georgia, a familiar story. Sen. Raphael Warnock will look to convert his special election victory into a full-term. Stacey Abrams will look to build upon her narrow loss in 2018 for Governor. Meanwhile, current Gov. Brian Kemp is being challenged in the primary by former Sen. David Perdue. (Trump fought hard for Kemp in 2018 but is now backing Perdue’s primary challenge.)
Populism in Elections Abroad
Several countries are holding elections in 2022, pitting leftist candidates against populism.
In France, an even more radical rematch of 2017. Current left-moderate President Macron faces challenges from Marine Le Pen, a populist candidate who lost in 2017’s runoff, and Éric Zemmour, whose platform is so extremist that his campaign announcement comes with an age-restriction on Youtube. The first-round in France’s election is set for April 10.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte (unofficially the Trump of the Philippines) is limited to a single term, but 2022 will no doubt see his populist ideals front and center. Recent polls show Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., a Duterte follower, in the lead by a very wide margin. That election is set for May 9.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, right-wing current President Jair Bolsonaro is set to face off against left-wing former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on October 2. Bolsonaro has disregarded everything from climate change to LGBTQ rights to vaccines during his term. Brazil’s Senate even accused him of crimes against humanity for his negligent handling of the pandemic. His approval rating is stunningly low, meaning he’s likely to lose, but he’s also stacked his administration with military officers, and some fear he may use them in an electoral loss.
Finally, in South Korea, the two leading contenders for president are Lee Jae-myung, a liberal who has listed Bernie Sanders as one of his icons, and Yoon Seok-youl, a fiscal conservative who has pushed to abolish the minimum wage and the maximum 52-hour work week. It will likely be a tight race on March 9.
You can read about all of next year’s most important elections abroad in Foreign Policy’s roundup.
Two Worldwide Sporting Events in Countries Mired in Human Rights Abuses
In February, China will host the Winter Olympics, which several countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, will diplomatically boycott because of allegations of atrocities against the Uyghur people. Meanwhile, China had already announced that no foreign spectators will be allowed at the games anyway, essentially avoiding any widespread protests.
Then, in November, Qatar will host the World Cup, twelve years after they allegedly bribed FIFA members to award them the hosting rights. What’s followed has been nearly $150 billion in spending and intense scrutiny for their treatment of migrant workers (at least 38 have died, if not many, many more). It’ll be difficult to talk about soccer’s biggest event without talking about what it cost to make it happen. (For a great write-up on that, see Rory Smith’s essay in the New York Times.)
A Big Test for the Golden Globes
Long considered an appetizer for the Oscars, the Golden Globes will not air on TV in 2022 after a series of allegations made against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association earlier this year. The extremely exclusive organization apparently includes no Black voters whatsoever, and has been mired in financial scandals including bribery and corruption. The HFPA quickly announced various reforms, including a diversity initiative, in hopes that NBC would reinstate its broadcast of the ceremony in 2023. This year’s ceremony will likely decide if they’ve done enough.
The Gen-Z Pop Music Takeover Continues
The past few years have seen the rapid rise of Gen-Z pop stars — namely Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. Each brought their own style to the music landscape and subsequently dominated in the big leagues. In 2022, expect these stars, and surely some new ones, to complete the Gen-Z takeover of the Hot 100. (More on that from Lindsay Zoladz.)
Netflix Games
Technically they already started doing this, but 2022 will decide if it was actually a good move or not. (I recommend Teeter btw.)
Monopolies…..in Space!
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos seem hell-bent on cluttering space (yes, like in WALL-E) with their respective satellite internet ventures. The federal government is doing little to regulate it. Washington Monthly did a great write-up on it here.
The Weekly Soundtrack
With a new year on the horizon and the days finally getting a little longer, it’s a good time to listen to music that’ll make you feel a little brighter. Sam Signorelli was gracious enough to provide a playlist that does just that.
I Hardly Know Her!
The Cocktail Column.
It’s New Year’s Eve. Enjoy a champagne cocktail.
Champagne Cocktail
Ingredients:
Bitters
Sugar Cube
Champagne, chilled
Fill the champagne flute with champagne. Douse the sugar cube in a few dashes of bitters, then drop into glass. Enjoy.