Election upsets, box office blockbusters and royal flops made for surprise winners and losers in 2022 – here’s MEGHAN MCCAIN’s list of those who finished on the top… and bottom
2022 has been an interesting year. Post-Trump, post-COVID America hasn’t been all that it was cracked up to be.
For millions of Americans, historic inflation, a teetering economy and a persistent malaise has taken its toll.
Remember the predictions of the roaring 20s? They’ve turned out to be more like the raging 20s and now, with another presidential election looming, I’m sorry to say, buckle up because it’s going to get bumpy – again.
But all is not lost. As we look forward with optimism, let’s first look back at those who made 2022 a tumultuous year brimming with promise for better days.
Winners List:
1. Governor Ron DeSantis
If the mainstream media had it out for any Republican lawmaker in America, it was Ron DeSantis. And that’s just the way he wants it.
From the national uproar over Florida’s ‘Parental Rights in Education Act’ to pandemic policies that bucked the trend, DeSantis constantly found himself at the center of the national conversation. But for all the critical attention he received, he came out on top.
DeSantis won re-election in Florida’s gubernatorial race by the largest margin in Florida in 40 years. He demonstrated that fighting the culture wars with the same fervor as the left can be a winning political strategy.
He is the Republican Party’s Golden Boy and the 2024 GOP nomination is his to lose.
If the mainstream media had it out for any Republican lawmaker in America, it was Ron DeSantis. And that’s just the way he wants it.
2. Ukraine
This next selection on this winner’s list could easily have been numbered with the losers. Ukraine has lost an estimated 100,000 soldiers and 40,000 civilians in the course of its war against Russia. There is reason to mourn for the country and its people.
But remember how the year began for this former Soviet satellite and its comedian-turned-politician president.
What was supposed to be an easy victory for Vladimir Putin has become a sign of Russian weakness and dysfunction. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s inspirational address to a joint session of Congress revealed a deep, bipartisan commitment to the Ukrainian cause.
The war has ground to a stalemate and it is unclear how the carnage ends, but in the eyes of the world the Ukrainians are heroes.
3. Joe Biden
I know – I’m shocked by this choice as well.
Despite his historically low approval ratings, tendency to placate the worst impulses of the progressive left, and his absolute laundry list of gaffes, lies and fumbles – Joe Biden emerged from 2022 in a strong position.
Like Mr. Magoo, he somehow managed to blindly stumble past falling anvils and speeding cars to lead the Democratic Party to a solid midterm performance, maintaining control of the U.S. Senate and only narrowly losing the House. The surprise election results left the House Republican caucus in complete chaos with no clear leader.
For now, Biden has silenced the public debate over whether or not he should run for re-election and heading into 2024 the mainstream lapdog media will continue giving him a pass.
4. Tom Cruise
2022 wasn’t all politics and war – thankfully.
The movie star lives!
At the ripe old age of 60, Tom Cruise made history. His movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ turned on the afterburners and became Paramount’s highest grossing movie ever taking in $1.2 billion globally.
Cruise is truly one of America’s last great movie stars with the gravitas to put fans in the theater seats. In an era where actors shove their predominantly left-wing politics down viewers’ throats, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and Cruise are a throwback to another time.
Let’s hope that Cruise’s commercial success convinces more Hollywood producers to leave their woke politics at the movie theater doors and start producing content that all Americans can enjoy.
At the ripe old age of 60, Tom Cruise made history. His movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ turned on the afterburners and became Paramount’s highest grossing movie ever taking in $1.2 billion globally.
5. Prince William and Kate Middleton
If Harry and Meghan convinced millions around the world to question the British Royal family, Prince William and Kate Middleton have restored the faith.
In a year marked by turmoil, they have remained steadfast in their commitment to the Crown. Will and Kate helped their country mourn the loss of a generational leader in Queen Elizabeth II and they are doing their part to usher in a new era under King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.
At a time when so many seek attention by claiming victimhood, Will and Kate have embraced responsibility. Quite frankly, the royal family would be lost without them, and I look forward to watching what they do in 2023.
If Harry and Meghan convinced millions around the world to question the British Royal family, Prince William and Kate Middleton have restored the faith.
Losers List:
1. Donald Trump
The rollout of Trump’s 2024 White House run could not have gone worse.
After positioning himself as a ‘kingmaker’ in the 2022 midterms, nearly every Senate candidate that he endorsed lost. Trump followed that embarrassing self-inflicted political face plant with an equally humiliating lackluster re-election announcement at Mar-a-Lago.
And who can forget his intimate dinner with anti-Semite Kanye West, white supremacist Nick Fuentes and all around clown Milo Yiannopoulos? If that was not enough, Trump tricked the national media into covering his December announcement of digital trading cards.
It’s clear that Trump has lost his touch. Everything that worked for him in 2016 has poisoned the well for 2024. America is ready to move on (see Ron DeSantis above).
The rollout of Trump’s 2024 White House run could not have gone worse.
2. Vice President Kamala Harris
A whopping 53% of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of the current vice president. That puts Kamala Harris in the same league as Donald Trump.
Biden tapped Harris to be the White House border czar and the looming crisis has spiraled into one of the most damaging failures of the administration to date.
There is a constant rotation of high-level staffers out of her office – twelve to be exact. And it was even reported in Chris Whipple’s book ‘The Fight of His Life’ that Biden has been annoyed with Harris’ poor performance and called her ‘a work in progress.’
Then there are the cringy public appearances. Harris cannot seem to make it through a speaking event without awkwardly laughing like Joaquin Phoenix in ‘The Joker’ or spouting off some incomprehensible word salad.
One thing is for certain, any aspirations she had of ever becoming president are completely off the table.
3. Harry and Meghan
2022 started with Harry and Meghan’s popularity at a high water mark. After their bombshell interview with Oprah in March 2021, they inked multi-million dollar deals with Netflix, Spotify and Penguin Random House.
In return, they spilled the royal family beans. The Sussexes seemingly traded in their lives as royals for starring roles in their own reality entertainment empire – culminating in a six part, six hour Netflix docuseries.
And it was a public relations flop for Harry and Meghan. The critical reviews were awful. The audience reviews were even worse.
Harry and Meghan suggested that they would reveal to America the inner workings of an institutionally racist British monarchy, but in the end – America turned on them. The goodwill evaporated into thin air.
2022 was the year that Harry and Meghan lost America.
Even the most pro-Sussex publications changed their tunes. This week, the Washington DC insider website Politico, deemed Markle a ‘narcissist,’ ranked her alongside Elon Musk, fraudster Elizabeth Holmes and Kayne West.
2022 was the year that Harry and Meghan lost America.
4. Kanye West
We can all safely say that 2022 was also the beginning of the end of Kanye West’s career.
Following a series of public tirades during which he spouted antisemitic nonsense, West was dropped by every brand, record label and agency associated with him. We knew that West had truly lost the plot when his insane ramblings became too much for, wait for it, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
West is one of the great musical geniuses of his generation, but sadly, he will more likely be forever known as one of the most unhinged celebrities of all time.
We all hope for West and his family that he finds peace, seeks therapy and a life away from the spotlight in 2023.
We can all safely say that 2022 was also the beginning of the end of Kanye West’s career.
5. Twitter
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has revealed to be true what many have long suspected – that certain Silicon Valley tech companies are biased against Republicans, conservatives and pretty much anyone who does not repeat the Democratic Party line.
From the censorship of reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop to the silencing of public health professionals who questioned the wisdom of COVID lockdown policies, Twitter, in cooperation with powerful government interests, manipulated public discourse.
While more independent reporting is needed before I can reach firm conclusions, these have been chilling revelations. If the FBI and other U.S. law enforcement agencies took it upon themselves to act as speech police without oversight – then we all must thank Musk for blowing the lid off a true threat to American democracy.
In this way, Twitter’s loss is America’s gain.
And with that I hope everyone a happy New Year – and offer a toast to a more peaceful, more prosperous and less aggravating 2023!
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