Now that we’re in the new year, it would be appropriate for all the doom and gloom pundits to revisit their 2023 predictions and reflect on what they got wrong. They’re not going to do that, of course, because reflection is the first step to accountability, and no one gets into the pundit game to say sorry. There are thoughtful individuals, however, who are humble and honest enough to reevaluate old assumptions based on new evidence. For obvious reasons, these are the people worth listening to.

Today’s columnist gives his 2023 predictions a passing grade. Some might roll their eyes at that, but look at the examples he lists as getting right (giving a leader of the other party the benefit of the doubt) and wrong (thinking his own party’s policy on a matter would work). The man isn’t an ideologue. He has his political priorities but, to refashion a quote from his piece, he doesn’t “get trapped in echo chambers, where opponents get caricatured, and black-and-white analyses drown out exploration of the political grays.” We owe it to ourselves to find more people like this. To forego the loud know-it-alls for the thoughtful want-to-know-mores. If ever there were a time to do it, it’s now.

Happy New Year!