Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., shares why he is suspending his 2024 presidential campaign on 'Sunday Night In America.'

This year has been full of heroes and villains. This year has been full of heroes and villains. But let's go beyond that and talk about the superstars of 2023. Starting with the good guys is easier because there are a lot of deserving candidates, despite the bad things of 2023.

Much of the year has been spent fighting over speech, culminating in the very public battles against, and even for, antisemitism. (Our education system, ladies and gents.) The free speech conflict has gone downhill rapidly since 2016, when liberals and their media buddies realized many conservatives were actually organizing and commenting online. So they had to be stopped.

In 2023, many of the heroes were trying to push back. Most of the people on my heroes list made their marks fighting for speech.

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One odd note is that the first four people on my list have something unusual in common. Wait till you get to No. 4.

Elon Musk is a hero straight out of a Hollywood script – only in that movie, he’s probably a Bond villain. He’s rich, brilliant, young and playing baby daddy to nearly a dozen kids. But he also wants to take us to Mars and help free humanity from its terrestrial bonds.

No one has influenced pop culture in 2023 more than Taylor Swift. She is the first A-list celebrity to truly dominate the post-COVID-19 world. You name it, she’s done it.

He’s an imperfect defender of free speech, but he tries and he speaks his mind when he does it. Under previous management, Twitter/X had become almost unendurable for conservatives or anyone who didn’t toe the party line.

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Nearly everyone from a certain former president on down had been banned or restricted. Any controversial topic – COVID-19, foreign policy, baking, etc. – could result in suspension or bans.

Musk’s takeover didn’t change all that, but he continues to challenge his opponents who want to bully him into censorship. He made international news in late November when he stood up to advertisers like Disney and its CEO Bob Iger who were trying to bully him into speech restrictions.

"Don't advertise. If someone is going to try and blackmail me with advertising? Blackmail me with money? Go f--- yourself," Musk said, adding: "Go f--- yourself, is that clear? Hey Bob, if you're in the audience. That's how I feel, don't advertise."

Not elegant,........

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