Personally, 2018 was a whirlwind year that brought amazing moments and adventures with family and friends. On the other hand, 2018 was politically very stressful. With an endless news cycle and an even more endless amount of scandal and idiocy coming from a flailing and disjointed White House, there was no shortage of headaches to be had in 2018. Looking back this was truly the never-ending year. We saw a fiercely fought midterm election that gave Democrats control over the House of Representatives. New and exciting names emerged, from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Ayanna Pressley, to name a couple.

The Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh became a media spectacle when Christine Blasey Ford stepped forward with allegations of sexual abuse years prior. A process that is usually only followed by politically minded citizens, the hearings that ensued entranced the nation with everyone voicing their support or condemnation of both parties. The incident added fuel to the #MeToo movement and sparked continued debate on the insidious way that sexual violence permeates our society.

In February of 2018 the Parkland School shooting set in motion one of the biggest grassroots movements of the year. With Emma Gonzalez leading the way, students of Stoneman Douglas High School stood up to a powerful gun lobby and demanded real legislative change to a issue that seems to be a uniquely American problem and threatens our nation’s children.

The year in review for the Trump administration was one epic eye roll. An obviously incompetent and corrupt president acts more like a cornered animal lashing out then a steadfast leader. Trumps tweets and press conferences reveal himself to be nothing more than a petulant child with only selfish self-interests. The president’s cabinet has been ripe with scandal and has seen numerous resignations.

Given all of the unsavoriness of the past year, one glimmer of hope is the new feminist revolution. 2018 was truly the ‘year of the woman’. Bad-ass women everywhere stood up and demanded their voices be heard. When the new Congress is sworn in this month, it will have the most female representation in U.S. history.

2019 will be a very crucial and exciting year. With Elizabeth Warren announcing that she is throwing her hat in the ring for the Democratic party’s candidacy for the president in 2020, the primary battles on the left will start heating up. The primary challenge in the Democratic party will be nothing short of a battle for the soul of the party and of the nation itself. The new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives will have an opportunity to legislate in a way that will have real significant benefits to American family’s. The American public and progressive activists will need to hold the Democratic party and members of Congress accountable. It is time to put words into action.

Please join me at ‘to the LEFT’ in the year to come for a critical discussion of key factors affecting our nation and politics. New content and features will be added to the site to shine a light on important information. For the new year I would like to wish everyone a blessed and successful 2019!

Dale Seufert-Navarro