JANUARY 10, 2014

THE MAGAZINE

INSIDE
Editors Letter The Choice The Malala Story My Picks Year of Wake Up 2013 in Pictures Looking Ahead

From the Editors Desk

My thoughts looking back on 2013
Today, much of the political world is focused on Bridegate and Gov. Christie response to it. Or unemployment benefits, or the book that will soon be published by former Defense Secy. Robert Gates. Or any of the 33 Senate races, 36 gubernatorial elections, or 435 House contests taking place in just 10 months. Perhaps some are focused looking ahead to the 2016 presidential election. But here at Wake Up To Politics, we are going to return to those headlines and more on Monday. Today we look back at the year that was. Those crazy 12 months known as 2013. For the past week, you Wake Up subscribers and I have chosen the Wake Up To Politics Person of the Year. The response to my call for voting has been overwhelming with over 65 choices submitted through both rounds of voting, either on Twitter or through email. As we have tried to pick the Person of the Year, it has required us to stare back and think of the contributions of every one on the list. We thought about budget battles, shootings, filibusters, deaths, partisan fights. But there was good things too, looking back at 2013 things like a girl who was courageous enough to fight the Taliban just to get an education. That girl of course was Malala Yousafzai. Malala took the world by storm in 2013, and she is our Person of the Year. I hope you look at this magazine as a reminder of what politics can do, the good and the bad because both are captured within its pages. We have reviews of 2013, a column looking ahead to this year, and more, as we celebrate (a little late ) the end of 2013, the beginning of 2014, and our Person of the Year. Now close your eyes (actually dont you need to read) and think of 2013, of 2014, of Malala. And allow yourself to be transported around the country, and to Pakistan as you read the first-ever Wake Up To Politics Person of the Year Magazine. Gabe Fleisher Editor-in-Chief Wake Up To Politics

The Choice
Why You Chose Malala
My vote is for Malala Yousafazai - because of her bravery in risking her life just for her love of learning. Everyone else on this list may have good things, but they all have agendas & their actions are adjuncts of their jobs. Malala was just a teenage girl who wanted to go to school and for that simple desire, she had to risk death - truly amazing! - Bobby Frauenglaus We would like to give the young woman Malala Yousafzai our vote. This was an excellent selection of candidates, but she is our hope for the future, a person of conviction, willing to make the sacrifices necessary to further the cause she belives in. - Marilyn and Herb Cohen I vote for Malala Yousafzai, a brave young lady who should be an example to the youth of the world. - Norman Gordon I'll vote Malala as the voice of the future. - Katy Kelly I vote for Malala Yousafzai for Person of the Year. Her activism for education rights for women is incredible, and it's a relief to see in the media a young person taking action for the common good (as opposed to our all-too-common Miley Cyrus"news"). - Rebbeca Hatlelid Malala Yousafzai is my nominee for Person of the Year...she galvanized the entire world with her courage and outspoken remarks in a country known for its disdain of women. Although it's well known that the female has no rights in her country, she was able to bring this issue to the forefront, all at a very young age. She survived a horrific shooting and continues to persevere, in addition to having a best seller on the New York Times list. - Marleee Millman While I feel Mandela dominated the news, my vote is for Malala, a youngster with the activist spirit of Mandela. - Terry Bloomberg #WakeUpPOY I vote for MALALA YOUSAFZAI for 2013 POY. Because there is nothing more important to me than QUALITY education for ALL! - Lorna Kurdi (@Lornakurdi -

She Just Wanted to Go to School

The Malala Story
A little over one year ago, if you had asked anyone in the United States or most parts of the world if they could identify the name Malala Yousafzai, very little results would have produced. That would change very, very soon.

On the morning of October 9, 2012, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was sitting on a bus going home from taking an exam in Swat Valley, Pakistan when two masked men stopped the van and spoke to the driver. The two men looked at the bus of young children and one of them asked, Which one of you is Malala? Speak up, otherwise I will shoot you all. All the eyes on the van went immediately to young Malala Yousafzai. The man identified her, and fired three bullets at Malala. The man was a Taliban gunman, and the girl was about to became an international celebrity. And she is our Person of the Year. Malala Yousafzais political activism goes back to her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai. Ziauddin, a poet and educational activist in his own right, noticed something special in his daughter, and allowed her to stay up long into the night to discuss

She Just Wanted to Go to School

The Malala Story
politics with him, and he soon was encouraging her to become a politician. By the time she reached the age of 11, Malala was a full-fledged activist, appearing before the Peshawar, Pakistan press club with her father, speaking on education rights and demanding of those assembled, How dare the Taliban take away my right to education? A few months later, the BBC Urdu website began to search for a schoolgirl to blog about her experiences in the Taliban-controlled area. Correspondents of the network had been trying to find such a girl with Ziauddin Yousafzai, but all of the students they contacted wouldnt do it. Except for Ziauddins own daughter, seventh grader Malala Yousafzai. Blogging, even anonymously, was a very large risk for Malala, and she says she often thought of the potential of attacks from the Taliban. But she was determined for the world to know what life was like for her. Malala wrote her entries by hand before sending them to a BBC Urdu reporter who posed it on their blog. This procedure went on as Malala wrote about the shutting down of her school, and the eventual Taliban announcement that girls in Yousafzais town would no longer be allowed to attend school. Even as her school reopened, and her blog ended, and despite of the continual threat of attack from the Taliban, Malala Yousafzais courage never wavered and her activism never stopped. What fascinates us about The Malala Story is that she just wanted to go to school. Here in America, my friends and I, just a few years Malalas junior, are not always excited to return to school every single day. Malala Yousafzai inspires us because she is fighting for her education and for the education of thousands of girls just like her. Its something she is willing to die for, and she very nearly had to do so. And while she does so, here in America, students are bestowed an education, and yet we go so far as to refuse to treasure it all the time. For us, schooling is a simple fact of

She Just Wanted to Go to School

The Malala Story
life, not something you have to fight for, or have to be shot in the head while attempting to earn. So we are in awe of The Malala Story. For us, education is ours as an American right. We are so used to it that we arent always thankful for it. But Malala doent get an education, and at the age of 16, shes courageous enough to fight her nations terrorizing political movement just because she wants to go to school. We look at Malala Yousafzai in wonder, because we are so ignorant of what is happening to her and her friends. Theyre being denied education simply because of their gender, something unheard of in 21st century America. And shes not doing nothing about it, shes staring down the Taliban, and shes fighting. And shes won our hearts over while shes doing it. In 2013, Malala Yousafzai took her rightful place as a role model for me, and for children and their parents across America. As Malala fights for her education, she combats the ignorance we hold for the treasure we are given every day as we walk through the schoolhouse doors. Through her outstanding bravery, Malala is inspiring legions of children across the globe. In the year two thousand and thirteen, Yousafzai celebrated the UNproclaimed Malala Day on her 16th birthday, declaring, Malala Day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights. They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions. But nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. Malala became the youngest person ever nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2013, and inspired headlines even in her loss of the award. As she turned 16 years old, Malala Yousafzai was busy writing and publishing a memoir, founding a nonprofit working to provide girls education, accepting the UN Human Rights Prize, challenging President Obama on drone strikes, and igniting a discussion on schooling for women and girls.

She Just Wanted to Go to School

The Malala Story
And shes 16. Here at Wake Up To Politics, were no stranger to the fact that age doesnt have to be a boundary. But what Malala has done with that is simply amazing and inspiring. So I am proud to honor Malala Yousafzai as 2013 Person of the Year. I believe her contributions to the news conversation and to society this last year, her courage, her ongoing fight, and inspiring story, more than qualify her. And I believe that it marks only the beginning for Malala. The Malala Story is the inspiration that it ignites with children very close to her in age. Malala represents a turning point in our ignorance for the amazing rights we are bestowed simply because we live in this country. Through her amazing courage, Malala Yousafzai inspires American students to grow up and join her as activists. Or even to do it now.

She Just Wanted to Go to School

The Malala Story
2013 was a

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014
2013 truly was a crazy year in American politics. And it was quite a year for Wake Up To Politics. In the past twelve months, I have reported on everything from a new presidential term to a new Pope; to fights on issues like gun control and immigration; Supreme Court decisions on same-sex marriage and foreign policy decisions in Syria and Iran; fascinating elections around the country; scandals in Benghazi, and at the NSA and IRS; as well as the 16-day government shutdown, a fight that almost brought the U.S. first default, and followed the continued storyline on Obamacare and its troubled rollout. But it was about more than just me. The best part of writing and publishing the Wake Ups are the items waiting for me in my inbox. Wake Up To Politics would not work, or have flourished, without the comments and feedback I have received from each and every one of you day in, day out, through 2013. I have cherished correspondence with my readers, whether they be on suggestions, questions, answers, or corrections. My mailing list increased significantly, opening up the Wake Up to a larger audience each morning. 2013 was also the year I opened a Twitter account, and I have reached over 200 followers since starting @WakeUp2Politics just two months ago. Another big change for the Wake Up last year was my switch to MailChimp, which has not only put a professional face on the newsletter, but really helped by save time when sending it out. In 2013, of course, I also began middle school which at first opened a problem due to the earlier school start time, which was solved by the schools gracious allowance that I work on the Wake Up at school, during 1 st period. The Wake Up has also reached new heights of publicity, being featured in Politico and St. Louis Public Radio on the same day, no less. This newsletter was an experiment that began in April 2011, when I sent an email attachment to my mother. It has since grown in amazing and unforeseeable ways. In Wake Up To Politics, I try to offer the most comprehensive yet understandable

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014
version of the news I think really matters. I attempt to show all sides of a story, and dont subscribe to the entertainment stories like Trey Radel and Anthony Weiner. This formula would not work without you, the main component of it. In short, I woke up at 6 a.m. every morning of 2013, and I did it with a grin on my red-white-and-blue braces, because I was able to share my passion with so many people which is to me a gift, an honor, and a pleasure. I am proud to report that Wake Up To Politics will continue throughout 2014, and far into the future, I hope. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you.

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014
Weve already reviewed politics in 2013, so now its time for us to look at what 2014 will bring. Heres the cards that I think will be played this year: This is, of course, is an election year if the regular countdowns were up, they would tell you we are less than 300 days away (!) from Election Day which means campaigning will send everything else to the backseat. With Congress return earlier this week, though, a real issue is pressing on the minds appropriators from both sides of the aisle: the budget. While the two-year budget agreement crafted by Paul Ryan and Patty Murray has been passed and signed into law, appropriators still need to set government agency spending levels by January 15 to eliminate any possibility of another government shutdown. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are tasked with drafting the over $1 trillion omnibus package that funds every single government agency, and decides how much money each project from minute ones to wide-ranging ones receive. The process involves 12 bills about half of which are mostly completed, according to Politico. The successful ending to this process, which entails the completion and passage of each bill, could hint to the beginning of a good year for Washington just probably not. On the whole, 2013 was a very bad year in terms of partisanship and progress, although it did end on a good note, with the RyanMurray deal. After the omnibus bills are done, Congress will move on to the business of pandering to their bases, spending most of their time beefing up for the November elections. The 2014 Democratic agenda is very similar to that of 2013 passing comprehensive immigration and gun control measures passing, with the additions of a minimum wage increase and the extension of unemployment benefits, which

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014
the Senate advanced Monday. These are all landmarks from the Obama agenda of 2013, most of which went down in flames. If the president wants a much better year than his very bad 2013, his legislative programs success rate will need to improve dramatically. Meanwhile, the Republican talking points in 2014 are expected to focus on Obamacare, Obamacare, and Obamacare. Republicans are likely to continue their effort to defund and repeal the Presidents signature health care law, and while it is improbable this effort will be successful, Affordable Care is undoubtedly once again going to be the one of the biggest news stories of the year, in 2014. This year, politics and pundits will be watching the Obamacare enrollments numbers, and whether they will continue on a significantly upward climb. This will, of course, be a large issue in the midterm elections, as Republicans will probably run ads featuring Americans with cancelled insurance and changed doctors, and Democrats are on tap to air spots focusing on those who signed up for Obamacare. The questions isnt whether these ads will be put up, but which ones will be successful, and in which states. March 31 marks the end of open enrollment for the health insurance exchanges set by the Affordable Care Act. It is when Americans will have to possess insurance if they dont want to be penalized on their 2014 tax bill. The White House goal was to have 7 million insurances purchases on HealthCare.gov by this date, so well see how close they get. Republicans are going to have to defend the Speakers gavel in 2014, while Democrats will try to keep their Senate majority. At this moment, it looks like neither party will gain control of both of Congress, but the elections will come down to just a few states. In the Senate, Republicans are looking towards victories in Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia, and Democrats additionally have to fight hard to keep the potentially game-changing seats of Arkansas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. On the other side of the Hill, an upcoming election will be very interesting, and a possible barometer for the November elections. On March 11, voters in 13th will head to the polls to choose a successor for the late Republican Rep. Bill Young, and Democrats flipping the seat is a very realistic possibility.

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014
Here at Wake Up To Politics, we will also be watching the seven Republican U.S. Senators who face primary challenges, especially ones in Missisippi, Wyoming, South Carolina, and Kentucky. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats will produce one interesting primary race in Hawaii, where incumbent Brian Schatz will have to face Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and the Inouye machine that backs her. Finally, the one other election you cant stop me, as a political junkie, from paying attention to: 2016. While still a little less than three years away, the 2016 presidential race is already heating up. This will be the year when potential candidates on both sides will soldier away for their party in the midterms, and will also find term for numerous speaking engagements and, in many cases, book publishing. Coinciding with his Audacity of Hope book tour, the 06 midterms was when Barack Obama really upped his national profile, as travelled the country promoting his autobiography and Democratic candidates. Hillary Clinton did the same, before they both announced their candidacies 22 months before the election (which will be January 2015, another year away). Hillary, and the other members of the possible field, still have a while before announcing, but 2014 is going to have a huge effect on all their potential candidacies. Another component worth mentioning: 2014 hold particularly high stakes for Chris Christie, as he takes the job of Republican Governors Association chair. That is exactly the position Mitt Romney held in 2006, but his performance was widely panned as GOP governors complained he was using the title for his own advantage, and Romney ran for, but failed to capture the GOP nomination in 2008. He probably could have used the blessings of many governors he was irking, like Christie will. Whether he will be able to turn the RGA chairmanship into an advantage all depends on he does the job. Just saying. Theres the cards for 2014 it just depends how theyre dealt, and well see how it plays out, and who wins the hand that will be the year two thousand and fourteen.

Thats your summary of what to watch in politics for 2014 now watch it with us! Continue reading Wake Up To Politics through the new year, as we follow these storylines and many more!

Looking Ahead
What to expect in politics for 2014