Dem
51
GOP
49
Last week, we had Most Deplorable Person and Most Admirable Person Now, it's time for the worst events of 2023. As you might guess, first place (last place?) wasn't close.
As always, we are going to start with some runners-up:
Gun Un-ControlR.R. in Nashville, TN: Quite a few. Yet, every stinking one of them has to do with a military weapon and school children who will never go home again.Legal Matters
D.E. in Lancaster, PA: My choice for Worst of 2023 is actually, and regrettably, many, many events. So many, in fact, that we have become desensitized to their reporting. Of course, I am referring to 592 mass shootings, which resulted in 725 deaths and 2,419 people injured, that occurred in just one calendar year in the United States. The most notorious for the year was probably the one in Lewiston, Maine, that killed 19, although there are plenty of others that happened in schools, homes and places of work, leisure and worship, that were just as horrifying and senseless. These shootings had a wide spectrum of causes, from racism or hate in some cases, to downright ridiculous reasons, such as a dispute over a game of dominoes.
The fact that this insane number of shootings take place unfettered, not because one party has a particular reverence to the Constitution but rather so gunmakers can continue making their blood money hand over fist, is really disgusting. What makes it more appalling is that this same political party exercises non-stop political theater and gets their panties in a twist about children learning Black history or knowing that gay people exist, but when 90 children, ages from newborn to 17, were shot, all they can do is offer platitudes. You would think the self-proclaimed Party of Life would have their priorities in order.J.D. in Reston, VA: Supreme Court strikes down Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.Deaths
A.R. in Los Angeles, CA: The district court and the 5th Circuit finding that mifepristone is unauthorized. Thankfully, the Supreme Court stayed the decision, but it has thrown clinics and physicians into disarray. If 20 years after a drug's approval, a court can come along and remove that approval, healthcare will be severely compromised.
R.A. in Chesterfield, MO: The sins of Clarence Thomas, Parts 6, 7, 8, and 9 (sorry, Lou Reed, wherever you are). The sorry spectacle of a Supreme Court justice whining about his salary, then accepting literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of "gifts" and "considerations," further eroded what little faith and confidence remained in the "high" court after the debacle of Dobbs.
K.H. in Albuquerque, NM: The selection of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for the classified documents trial in Florida was the worst of 2023. With a TFG-appointed judge slow-walking the case, the easiest conviction will likely be delayed until after the election.A.B. in Wendell, NC: Tom Smothers died. Curb thy tongue, knave!Natural Disasters
S.E. In Haiku, HI: The death of Jimmy Buffett.
T.C. in Los Angeles, CA: Rosalynn Carter is no longer among us, and Jimmy Carter will soon be gone, too.J.Z. in St. Paul, MN: The worst event of the year was the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6. Over 55,000 people died.Republic of Artsakh
M.S. in Washington, DC: The Canadian wildfires. Not because of the ecosystem damage or the smoke, and not even because they were effectively a chemical attack by the 'Nades on the U.S., but rather because they were a harbinger of climate change.
S.K.W. in Wimberley, TX: The Maui fires. There are still 6,000 homeless Hawaiians five months after the fire.O.E. in Greenville, SC: I would say that the worst event of 2023 is the invasion and ethnic cleansing of the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
If you consider Artsakh to be a part of Armenia, it is an invasion and occupation, and a violation of territorial integrity. If you consider it an independent state (as I do), it is a blow to self-determination.
In a just world, this would be roundly condemned, and actions would be taken. While many nations condemned Azerbaijan's actions, none have taken action. Russia lost six peacekeepers, yet refused to intervene. Ukraine and Israel are allies of Azerbaijan, and Israel supplies major portions of Azerbaijan's military. While the U.S. condemned the invasion, it has not cut off any aid, and even held a military exercise with Azerbaijan during the invasion. No Western nation has sanctioned Azerbaijan.
Any claims by nations of a respect for international law are scotched by permitting this to happen. Any talk of a "rules-based international order" that permits this shows that the only recognized rule is might makes right. I am one of the few who takes foreign policy and peace seriously. I will certainly remember this and vote accordingly.
And now, the top five:
5. Donald TrumpG.W. in Oxnard, CA: The worst political event in 2023 was Donald Trump declaring as a candidate for president of the United States. That was the nexus event connected to just about every negative political consequence that has brought us to where we are today. There is no way to know if we would be better or worse off politically now if that event had not happened, but our politics are awful and that event has colored every political event that followed.4. House Shenanigans
H.R.L. in Carmichael, CA: I believe the worst thing that happened in 2023 was the capture of the Republican Party by Trump and his MAGA followers. It is difficult, if not impossible, to maintain a democratic form of government when one of the two major political parties no longer accepts the peaceful transfer of power. I fear our democracy faces real jeopardy.
M.A. in Pea Ridge, IL: Donald Trump's heart kept beating.M.A. in Tucson, AZ: The end of Kevin McCarthy (good riddance) and the beginning of the Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) era in the House. I am extremely worried about the separation of church and state. Johnson is going to constantly push the limits of where and when religion is allowed in government, schools and everyday life. That and the continuation of getting NOTHING constructive done is very, very bad for our country.3. Ukraine
C.W. in Visalia, CA: The worst thing that happened in 2023 was the failure of House Republicans to govern independently of Donald Trump. Kevin McCarthy's failure to unify his party led to fears of government shutdowns at home and uncertainty for our allies abroad. This institutional chaos has brought us Mike Johnson, a Christian Nationalist with little leadership experience in the House, to the speakership. This is the man that we must rely on to fund our government, arm Ukraine and Israel, support Taiwan, and deal with climate change and its associated disasters. His base also supports the impeachment of President Biden and Trump's call for revenge against non-MAGA Americans.
P.K. in Marceline, MO: The worst was the failure of the House of Representatives to finally eschew Trump and take the party back. Instead, they ended up with a right-wing porn-addicted speaker nut who shames other people's sexuality and values, tries to distract voters by making Hunter Biden a national issue, and foolishly wastes the government's time in the impeachment process.M.R. in Rochester, NY: The most troubling event of 2024 is the ongoing war in Ukraine and the brutality displayed by Russia and Vladimir Putin. This is exacerbated by the significant loss of life on both sides, primarily attributed to Putin's use of human wave tactics. Additionally, the Republicans' failure to fulfill their duty to support fellow democracies is disheartening. Their inexplicable affinity for Vladimir Putin remains one of the perplexing "mysteries" of our time.2. Global Warming
E.K. in Portland, OR: The ongoing war in Ukraine and the United States' inability to give Ukraine what it needs to decisively win, as opposed to just keeping Russia from rolling west. It is especially terrible how the party of Ronald Reagan is now helping Russia, of all countries, in its quest to rebuild its colonial empire and to commit genocide in Ukraine. Thankfully, Europe is increasingly stepping up and helping Ukraine, although Russia could be decisively defeated if the United States did its part.
D.G. in Atlanta, GA: Republicans taking a political position against Ukraine and cutting off funding, making it clear to the entire world that the U.S. cannot be relied upon. This could have massive negative ramifications on U.S. foreign policy and our standing in the world for decades to come. We should embrace our position as leaders of the free world and act the part. We should embrace being a driving force in multi-national organizations such as the UN, G7, World Bank, IMF, etc., which we were instrumental in setting up in the first place as they allow us to "control" so much of what happens in the world. If we revert to isolationism, someone else (China/Russia) will fill the vacuum, to our ultimate detriment.J.P. in Horsham, PA: The worldwide manifestations of climate change. 2023 was the hottest year on record and we have no reason to think 2024 will be any better. The smoke from the Canadian wildfires was seen and felt as far south as Virginia. I'm not saying it could have been completely prevented but with one American political party continuing to deny the fact that it is a problem, we've been completely unable to find any real solutions.1. Israel-Hamas
S.S. in West Hollywood, CA: 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded and can only be described as the year most of the world's scientists really began freaking out over climate change. Another year and no meaningful action was taken that will change where we're heading. I can't even wrap my head around all the horrific things that are coming. No place is safe. Not to mention all the unknowns and unknown unknowns. We are in a mass extinction event, and collectively, the world is not paying attention. Instead, we're still electing people who don't make it a priority or worse, actively work to contribute to the disinformation campaign. It's going to be bad, really bad.
P.B. in Gainesville, FL: Not enough action on reducing CO2 emissions, i.e. the accelerating calamity of climate change. Why? Because despite all the other horrible things that happened around the world in 2023, these things are in principle reversible. Once past a few key tipping points, which are closer than people think, climate change will be irreversible, and the planet will be near-uninhabitable in 100 years, along with catastrophic species loss and 90% of humanity gone.S.C. in Mountain View, CA: This is probably due to recency bias, but the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. (My first thought that day when I heard the news was "No good is going to come of this.") Not only did it provoke an over-reaction from Israel (they needed to react, but not over-react), it could widen (perhaps already is beginning to widen) into a larger Middle East conflict. Plus, people unhappy with Biden's handling of the crisis could cost the Democrats the White House, resulting in a second Trump Presidency and all the chaos that would entail.
B.C. in Phoenix, AZ: The worst thing of 2023 was the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th. First of all, because of the innocent people who were killed, taken hostage, tortured and who have died while in the clutches of Hamas.
Secondly, because it gave license to the reprehensible Bibi Netanyahu to rain terror and death from the skies on innocent people, using weapons provided by the U.S.
Lastly, because it allowed dirtbag Putin, and his brain-dead political fans here in the United States, to distract the world from Ukraine's fight to remain an independent country.
M.S. in Washington, DC: The Hamas attack on Israel. The primary effect of 1,000+ civilians killed horrifically was bad enough, but the secondary effect of tens of thousands killed in the response and the tertiary effect of increased antisemitism and anti-Muslim sentiment both in Israel and around the world elevates this to the worst event of the year.
A.C. in Aachen, Germany: The worst thing to happen in 2023: The moment Joe Biden decided to give Netanyahu and his right-wing government a free pass to do what they have been doing since the events of October 7th. Everyone knows, and it is repeatedly confirmed by Israeli officials, that without American political support, without American financial support, without American military support, without American military equipment, Israel would not be able to wage war in Gaza.
The reason: Does this actually have to be explained? What Israel is doing in Gaza has long been beyond measure. This no longer has anything to do with national defense, fighting Hamas, or even rescuing hostages. It's about collective punishment, humiliation and ethnic cleansing. What is happening there violates international law and is deeply inhumane. It also poses the risk of escalation beyond national borders, which could lead the world into World War III.
Biden knows this and he not only tolerates it, he supports it. He does not have the power to end this conflict, but he could at least steer it in a better direction. To do this, he would have to have the courage to stand against Israel on some points. But this is not the case; he has not. If not reelected, this might be the tipping point.
Thanks, as always, to everyone who sent in votes. Next up is the best event of 2023; if you'd like to comment, there is still time. Send a message to comments@electoral-vote.com with subject line "Best Event." (V & Z)