What’s going to happen over the next four years? Here’s a guess:

At home, President Bush’s tax cuts will be made permanent and even more tax cuts will be given as the economy continues to grow at record rates. Jobs, though, never come at the rate that we want and more and more robots and other advanced forms of technology take over the menial labor. Bush will use his increased majorities and political capital to push through more free trade agreements with sweatshop nations in the developing world. Bottom line: jobs down, economy up.

We will see the implementation of universal health care for the most serious afflictions, coupled with ever-increasing insurance premiums. In 2008 health care again will be a major issue for about the 20th consecutive election.

The USA Patriot Act will be amended and will play a large part in bringing the two parties together. Congress will appease the civil liberties watchdogs while keeping the gut of the law intact. This will begin the creation of a new Bush that will draw Democrats into working with him.

Things won’t be so pretty overseas, though.

In Iraq we’ll try and try to kill off the insurgency and succeed in spurts, but it will fail. They’re 100 percent invested; we’re 60 percent invested. As a result, we will start a gradual withdrawal within the first two years of the second term. Bush will point to elections and removal of Saddam Hussein to declare this a victory. Terrorists will declare a victory — but is that so bad? Maybe they’ll get off our backs now that they have their W against Dubya.

Those who fear another preemptive invasion will be happy after the uber-hawks who hold the whole world in their hands will see the impossibility of succeeding politically and militarily attacking sovereign nations. Iran and North Korea will be subject to diplomatic pressures that will result in a major breakthrough as Iran will have free elections and Kim Jong-Il will sign an agreement where the world offers North Korea a form of appeasement and food for his starving nation.

Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will see new hope with the death of Yasser Arafat. That spirit of opportunity will be short lived, however, with Israel upping the offense in belief they can close out the Palestinians once and for all. This will result in a massive increase of violence and leave the situation in tatters.

The wave of morality upon which Bush rode to victory on Election Day will live on rhetorically but not manifest new policy. The great political implications of the cultural debate will see Bush give up on the Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and civil unions will proliferate.

Those of us who care about winning the culture war and who wish to eradicate abortions-on-demand will have a seat at the administration’s table, but Bush will not push for an overturning of Roe v. Wade — unless he doesn’t want to see a Republican president for 50 years.

Many Americans fear a revolution from the Right; they give Bush and Karl Rove far too much credit. What we will see is an America that will view Bush as a commander in chief who united.

In the next four years Bush will throw some bones to his ideological allies and at the same time, impress some Democrats who fear the GOP’s worst.

Then, who will be the uniters and who will be the dividers?

Troy Appel is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].