Hello,

As we close out another year, I can’t help but feel a sense of hopefulness.

I know it’s been another hard year. For far too many, there’s now an empty chair at the dinner table. The Omicron variant continues to rage throughout the country and it feels as if nothing will change, even during this time of cheer.

For me, the Holiday Season represents a feeling of hope and happiness. Surrounded by my family, perennial friends, and a few new acquaintances, we are celebrating both Christmas today and optimism for tomorrow.

We can come out of this pandemic a better and stronger nation. We can protect and strengthen our democracy. We can combat the climate crisis, pass common sense gun reform, and take on Big Pharma and Wall Street. And we can expand our Democratic majority in the Senate – starting with defeating Chuck Grassley here in Iowa.

Will any of these things be easy? Of course not. Few things truly worth doing come easy. But that doesn’t mean we shy away from the fight.

So whether you and your family are celebrating Christmas today or enjoying some other aspect of the Holiday Season, I wish you all a sense of hopefulness and happiness in 2022. There is no end to what we can accomplish together.

Mike Franken, VADM, U.S. Navy (ret.)

Editor’s note: Careful with the eggnog.