Time Magazine must have had trouble deciding who was the most deserving individual to name "Person of the Year" because they gave the award to you.
But look at 2006 through a different lens and you'll see another story, one that isn't about conflict or great men. It's a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people's network YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes.
Although I understand their point and completely agree that community and collaboration played a HUGE role in the major events of 2006, I feel cheated. So I thought it would be fun to create a poll for the members of DailyKos. The candidates are below the fold in no particular order... and don't forget to take the poll.
1. George W. Bush
Although he is not very popular at DailyKos, you can't leave the sitting U.S. President out of a Person of the Year poll. His "stay the course" strategy in Iraq has turned the country into a complete mess. Additionally, his low approval ratings proved to be a catalyst for the Democrats to take over Congress.
2. Keith Olbermann
The emergence of Keith Olbermann and MSNBC's Countdown marked a shift in the national media. His Special Comments are a must see for anyone interested in politics and an excellent example of top notch journallism in the tradition of Edward Murrow.
3. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taken on the United States and the entire world in an effort to make Iran a regional and nuclear power. On November 15th, he announced that Iran had the full capability to produce nuclear fuel.
4. Jim Webb
The election of Jim Webb to the U.S. epitomized what happened across the country. Running as an anti-Iraq War candidate, Jim Webb defeated incumbant Senator George Allen in Virginia. Prior to this campaign, Sen. Allen was seen as a possible candidate for president in 2008.
5. John "Jack" Murtha
The U.S Representaive from Pennsylvania's 12th district was a leader in the anti-Iraq War movement throught 2006. One might argue that he gave the Democrats a backbone to stand up against the war.
6. Nancy Pelosi
After Democrats soundly defeated Republicans in the 2006 Congressional elections, Nancy Pelosi was unanimously choses to lead her party as Speaker of the House. She will be the first woman to lead either chamber of Congress when she is sworn in next year.
7. Tom DeLay
In April, the former House Majority Leader announced he would not run for reelection and in June, he resigned from office. DeLay became a poster-boy for Republican corruption and played a role in his party's November losses.
8. Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney had quite an interesting year in 2006. In February, the Vice President accidentally shot his friend, lawyer Harry Whittington, in the face while quail hunting in Texas. He also continued to be a delusional, lying Bush apologist and major league asshole.
9. Keith Ellison
He became the first ever Muslim elected to the U.S. House of Representatives when he defeated Replublican Alan Filein in the Minnesota 5th District election. With all the bigotry towards Muslims in the United States after 911, that was no small task.
10. Al Gore
His movie An Inconvenient Truth and book of the same name brought the issue of global warming to the forefront.
11. Hugo Chavez
The dictator from Venezuela continued to be a pimple on George Bush's butt throughout 2006. He expanded his program to provided affordable heating oil to poor Americans and gave one hell of a speech to the U.N criticizing Bush, calling him "El Diablo" or "The Devil".
12. Warren Buffett
The American businessman and billionaire gave over $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and pledged to donate 85% of his wealth to charity.
13. Donald Rumsfeld
For better or worse, Rumsfeld was a center of attention throughout 2006. He continued to bungle the war in Iraq and act as a parrot for the Bush Administration while calls for his resignation became louder and louder. Ultimately, he resigned after Democrats won in the November elections.
14. Howard Dean
His 50 State Strategy helped propel the Democrats to a huge victory in the 2006 midterm election
15. Other
I am sure that I forgot to put many others on the list, and I'm limited to 15 choices in the poll. So please state your choice in the comments.