Enough with this short-term speculative stuff; this is more like it. Beyond predicting an Obama win - I'm cautiously optimistic, still, but it's hard to see how I could predict otherwise based on the information out there right now - what else can I say with complete certainty guess about the future? I've only been thinking about this for a few minutes, so I might add to the post throughout the day.
Taxes will go up on everyone. Yeah, I don't think I'm supposed to say that right now, and it might be just nearly everyone instead of everyone (it also depends partly on whether you're talking about income tax only, or a variety of taxes; federal taxes, or state and local taxes). But given the state of the economy, the ongoing bailout, the need for infrastructure investment, and what I hope will be a strengthening of social programs - even if this amounts only to a modest extension of existing programs - I don't see how anyone's tax cuts will be able to stay in place for very long. I don't think tax increases are necessarily bad, by the way. It matters what they pay for.
Related: the tax increases will come to be seen as necessary and justified enough that the incumbent president will not be significantly hurt in 2012 by the argument that he's broken his campaign promises from 2008. (Which is not to say that he'll be re-elected. Maybe he will, maybe not.)
American immigration overseas, particularly to Europe, will increase. It will be motivated more by economics than politics.
Political reform movements will take a greater interest in lobbying, as people realize that small donors and public financing aren't enough to counteract the kinds of influence that work past elections. Process reform will still not get enough attention in the news as it deserves.
At least until 2012, Afghanistan will continue to be unstable but there will be a modest increase in American troops there. There will be fewer U.S. troops in Iraq than there currently are, but still a substantial number. Yes, I'm deliberately not naming numbers, mostly because I'm not sure what numbers would likely correspond with which conditions on the ground. Both countries will continue to hold elections, the results of which will not lead to decisive changes in their political situations.
Russia will experience an economic downturn that will cause people to question Putin's continued (unofficial) leadership. The resulting domestic struggle will cause more concern among non-Russians about Russia's future than the recent war in the Caucasus did.
China will face open challenges to its political system. These will come from people involved in, or originally involved in, environmental work.
That's enough for now.
I have some contingent predictions - something like: if A and B happen, then X will happen, but I'm not actually predicting X - which, though I'll hedge more than I've done in the predictions I've just made, are probably no more or less likely to happen, but maybe I'll put those in another post. For example, I won't predict universal or near universal health insurance, but if large employers pressure the government to take over employee health plans, perhaps as a sort of bailout-type move, in combination with union advocacy, I think it will happen.