Looking back, looking ahead: return to normalcy?

At year-end, it’s traditional that we cast an eye back at the events of the past months. The view from K Street is, admittedly, skewed, but tries to be panoramic. What past events will shape our future?

COVID-19. It won’t go away. Our national response is an indelible blot on our country and its failed governance. Common sense, along with preservation of the commonweal, fell victim not to disease but to failed leadership, blinded by self-interest and trafficking in fear and ignorance. Congress continues to believe you can pretend that bluster is an effective deterrent. Viruses know better. What does Congress need to learn? How long will it take?

Ukraine. The war must go away. The stark comparison between the intrepid courage of Volodymyr Zelenskyy—the leader of this beleaguered country—in the face of Russian brutality and the sycophantic pandering of Donald Trump at Vladimir Putin’s feet reminds us all of what we need in a head of state and what we lacked. The steadfast assistance offered by the Biden administration will be its most lasting legacy.

2022 midterm elections. Has our national fever broken? Have the election deniers been put aside? Have the craven insurrectionists been brought to heel? Or is it all a momentary illusion in a longer historical arc of which we can only observe a small piece?