ABCNews.com on Monday featured various journalists peering into their 2011 crystal balls. Correspondent Linsey Davis noted higher retail sails and trumpeted, "So, with this economic rebound, my prediction is that there will be increased chatter about President Obama as the comeback kid."
ABC is hardly the first network to repeat this liberal wish. On the December 20 Early Show, political analyst John Dickerson mentioned the just-passed tax compromise and touted, "They are calling President Obama the comeback kid."
On another topic, correspondent Ron Claiborne asserted that African Americans believe "...The President has tended to shy away from identifying himself as the black president and has not done enough for African Americans, not just specifically for African Americans, but on the jobs front, which of course, hits African Americans and Latinos a lot harder than it does white Americans."
Claiborne suggested Obama would make increased overtures to African Americans.
Reporter Dan Harris claimed the popularity of mega churches would decline in 2011: "So, we're starting to see a movement that's been loosely dubbed 'churchless congregations.'" He explained, "These are Christians who meet in basements of people's houses, in public parks, sometimes even in bars and they feel that they are hewing closer to the vision of the early Christians than those big mega churches do."
Perhaps surprisingly, former Democratic operative turned journalist George Stephanopoulos predicted, "I think John Edwards is going to get indicted for everything involved with that scandal over Rielle Hunter."
A partial transcript of some of the predictions can be found below:
ABCNews.com
01/03/10
Predictions:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I think John Edwards is going to get indicted for everything involved with that scandal over Rielle Hunter.
DAN HARRIS: Hi, I'm Dan Harris. One of the things I cover here at ABC News is faith in America. So, here's my prediction for the coming year: I think you're going to see an increasing rebellion among American Christians against those big, slick mega churches. There are many Christians out there who are starting to feel that these mega churches are too impersonal, too much like Starbucks than they are like pure houses of worship. So, we're starting to see a movement that's been loosely dubbed "churchless congregations." These are Christians who meet in basements of people's houses, in public parks, sometimes even in bars and they feel that they are hewing closer to the vision of the early Christians than those big mega churches do. So, that's my prediction for 2011.
RON CLAIBORNE: My prediction for 2011: Look for President Obama to make increasing overtures to African American voters. Now, of course, if you look at polls, the President has support of more than 90 percent of African Americans. But there is, I believe, a quiet conversation going on among black Americans that the President has tended to shy away from identifying himself as the black president and has not done enough for African Americans, not just specifically for African Americans, but on the jobs front, which of course, hits African Americans and Latinos a lot harder than it does white Americans. So, my prediction for 2011 is that with an eye towards 2012 and this key constituency that the President will need to turn out in big numbers for him to be reelected, look for the President to reach out more to African Americans more in the coming year.
JOHN BERMAN: For anyone covering Sarah Palin, and I am. See, that's her book right there, the big question about 2011 is 2012. As in, is she going to be running for President? Well, like every other reporter in America, what am I doing to find out? I'm following her Twitter page right here
