We had a prediction thread before the start of 2018, so it’s worth taking a look at how well we prognosticated the wacky year that transpired.
Last year’s predictions started with a quote from Newt Gingrich on Fox News:
The great political surprise of 2018 will be the size of the Republican victory.
After members of the elite media have spent two years savaging President Trump, lying about Republican legislation, and reassuring themselves that Republican defeat was inevitable, the size of the GOP victory in 2018 will be an enormous shock.
Blue Mass Group readers were much smarter than Newt. Faced with the following set of questions, most of us saw the national trend that was brewing. Our crystal balls were blurrier when it came to the governor’s race (Setti Warren found more love in the predictions that in the real world), the Red Sox and Alex Cora (nobody saw a spectacular season and a World Series win on the horizon), and the Millionaire’s Tax (nobody saw the successful court challenge that kept it off the ballot.
And just one mention of my annual prediction. “I have been listening to Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga sing together, and I will keep repeating the inevitable until it comes true. Thus, I predict once again that Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta fulfills her childhood dream by playing the lead role of a revival on Broadway.”
I came pretty close on this one with A Star Was Born. It was a movie, so no chicken dinner, but I’m getting closer.
Here are the prevailing questions we answered last year. Follow the link to read the predictions.
Massachusetts:
- Who will be the Democratic nominee for Governor?
- What is the result (percentage points) of the governor’s election.
- What is the result (percentage points) of the constitutional amendment providing for a “millionaire’s tax?”
National:
- What will be the post-election makeup of the House and Senate?
- Who will be the next Speaker of the House?
- Will Donald Trump be President on December 31, 2018?
- How many people will be indicted and convicted (including guilty pleas) in the Mueller probe?
World:
- What will be the major world event that will dominate the news?
Sports and Entertainment:
- Who will win the AFC, NFC, and Super Bowl?
- How will the Red Sox do with Alex Cora? Who will win the AL, NL, and World Series?
Wild Guesses:
- Go for it!
You didn’t do so badly, Pablo, but as a group we are all over the map.