We are only a few days into 2019, but that doesn't mean everyone is focusing on this new year. To some, it might as well already be 2020.
The "some" I refer to is made up mostly of politicians and those who closely follow them, but also the American public. 2020 is, after all, an election year.
And not just a midterm election year, either. 2020 will offer the American people a chance to change or keep the direction the country goes toward. 2020 will host the next election for the president of the United States.
As such, some politicians are already planning accordingly. Elizabeth Warren kicked off 2019 by announcing she is considering running for president in 2020, a move largely predicted by pundits.
Warren is the first of many probable presidential hopefuls on the Democratic side of the aisle to publicly announce her intentions. From Kamala Harris to Beto O'Rourke to Joe Biden, whispers run rampant about who might try to seize the nomination.
And on the Republican side, the incumbent president might have to fight off a challenge from within his own party before he can run for a second term.
All of this is classic political gossip: who will run? Who can win? Who can speak to {insert group of people classified as a key voter base}? Who has the best progressive or conservative policies? Who is the most liked by average Americans?
These whispers will soon start to dominate cable news shows and analysis columns. As more hopefuls announce exploratory committees and platforms, more pundits and reporters will undoubtedly follow.
What does this mean, you might ask?
It means 2019 might be defined not as its own year, with its own happenings, but as a precursor to another year.
2019 might be defined, at least by some people, as pre-2020.
But thinking of the year as nothing more than the year before another one will ignore some of the things that will happen in 2019. When we shift our focus to political campaigns that will not officially start for another year we move our focus away from what the current administration chooses to do.
We should not all get so far ahead of ourselves that we discount 2019.
Issues and political grandstanding at the U.S.- Mexico border will continue. Rollbacks of environmental protections and regulations will continue.
The stock market downfall might continue in 2019. The economy could, potentially, head towards a recession in 2019.
It is very likely storms will once again wreak havoc on American communities in 2019.
Many, many things that took center stage in 2018 will continue in 2019.
It is, frankly, foolish to think that 2018 will stay bottled up in the past and have no influence on the present this year. 2018, and the policies made during it, will linger over and shape 2019.
No matter your opinions or political leanings, do not put all of your focus on 2020. It is interesting, sure, but things will happen in 2019 that will directly impact people in 2019.
The people impacted in 2019 matter more than the campaigning of 2020.
We are the people who will be impacted in 2019.
It is 2019, and we need to focus on 2019.
Let's all save 2020 for 2020.
