Whenever media begins looking back at a year at around December 26, I automatically think, "But....what if something important happens between now and midnight, December 31?" However, today is January 6, a date also referred to variously as Twelfth Night, Epiphany, Theopany, Kings' Day, Three Kings' Day, Orthodox Christmas and Little Christmas. So, while I hope to have more epiphanies about 2016, I will not have any more epiphanies during 2016; and I can now look back at 2016 confidently. Typically, I would at least begin with something positive and important. http://caucus99percent.com/content/gratitude-and-laughter However, politically, 2016 was, for me, a confusing year. I will start with some of the political things that surprised me, even though I had imagined/assumed that I had worked through them before 2016.

First, realizing how very little Americans require of of their politicians breaks my heart and makes my tears well. (It's similar to the reaction that I have when I see an abused child displaying genuine affection to the abusive parent.) The massive D.C. (and Maryland, Virginia, Utah, etc.) operation is so incredibly costly in so many ways--blood, treasure, emotion, divisiveness, even between family members. But, just a snappy one-liner here and a finger-wagging while C-Span's cameras roll there, and we're beguiled, impressed, captivated--and grateful. Yet, no one's life improved a hair. I so hope that we focus more and more on public "servants' actually doing the job they sought--serving the public, not merely playing to the public. Speaking of which...

Before 2016, I was aware that Congress does not exactly work itself to death attending to the nation's business. Of course, I knew that. Most of what our alleged representatives "accomplish" has to do with taking care of their own futures and those of their loved ones, fundraising, campaigning, arranging a job for a family member, and/or negotiating a fat contract for influence peddling services of some kind. (Holla, Cantor, Dodd, Daschle, and far too many others.) Yet, in 2016, simple quantification of how very little they actually accomplish for us stunned me.

One politician and commentator after another, including President Obama, proclaimed that Hillary was the best qualified to be President in all of U.S. history. (I guess that told George Washington, didn't it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington Pffft.) Although Hillary was very good at getting jobs, she accomplished very little positive in any of the positions she obtained. How does that warrant hyperbolic praise, rather than being a disqualifier? More specifically, during her eight years as Senator, with every advantage from the Democratic Party at her back, she initiated very few bills that became law, maybe five. More significantly, not a one of her bills that became law was more than ceremonial. (Her record in other job titles was, IMO, similarly undistinguished, at best, but my focus is national elected office.)

For his part, Bernie founded the House Progressive Caucus (now the Congressional Progressive Caucus) and chaired it during its first eight years; wrote an amendment providing a lot of money for health care to the poor and got it into the ACA bill; and co-wrote a significant veterans' bill that became law. Each and all, those are very good things, especially for someone who not only refused to join either of the nation's two oldest and largest political parties, but criticized both publicly. On the other hand, no matter how much I supported Bernie, I would feel dishonest if I did not note that he has been in Congress for twenty-five years. that is a long time for two pieces of legislation, even two very important ones. (ETA: Based on a reply below, I found two more substantives pieces of legislation, both amendments, written Bernie Sanders that became law. One amended the Victims Justice Act by requiring corporations convicted of crimes to notify victims of the conviction and the other provided veterans with a cost of living increase. So make that four pieces of legislation over 25 years, consisting of one bill and three amendments.)

The shocking thing is that legislative records like the above are the rule, not the exception (which, btw, makes me realize anew what a legislative phenom Ted Kennedy was). During the primary, some of Hillary's supporters trumpeted a statistic: A U.S. Senator, on average, writes a bit over two bills a year that become law,whether substantive or purely ceremonial! Some Senators, like Rand Paul, are at zero bills of any kind during an entire career to date. It pains me how money, time, emotion, adulation and loyalty we, as a citizenry, lavish on national officeholders, especially if they run for President, while expecting almost nothing of them.

Also in 2016, an unusual number of people I once respected and/or admired stunned and/or disappointed me. The first to come to mind as I type is Gloria Steinem, a feminist who explained that Sanders' has female supporters because women want to be where the "boys" are. (Did I mention feminist?) The next item did not surprise me, but sometimes did repulse me: once it became apparent that Hillary would definitely be the nominee, one erstwhile Bernie supporter after another began pretending that Hillary is the best thing since sliced bread. (As an aside, I have no idea why something like Wonder Bread^TM is supposedly superior to a baguette or bastone.) Some even castigated Bernie nastily for staying in the race, although Hillary herself had, in 2008, continued running well after the S.S. Remote Hope of Nomination had disappeared beyond the horizon. When challenged, she explained her behavior with an allusion to the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy following the California primary. (No words!) In this group, I include people like Charles Pierce and Thom Hartman. (Don't even get me started on Hillary supporters like Senator Boxer.)

Perhaps my saddest moment was national treasure Rep. John Lewis' implying that Hillary, not Bernie, was active in SNCC in the 1960s. Lewis will, and should, always be iconic to me, but that certainly was a shock and a disappointment, although he did take it back some time later. Also a disappointment was the shilling of George Clooney (including for all the money down ticket Dems were supposed to get from money donated to Hillary, which was not as touted), but he, too, has done and attempted far too much good in his lifetime for me to disdain him.

Yes, certainly worse political things than these happened during 2016. However, they did not stun, or even surprise, this frog, who has been luxuriating drowsily in the ever-warming water long enough to have become enured to many things. And, 2016 also saw marvelous political events. One of those was the rising of the Millennials. Proponents of austerity may well rue poking that sleeping giant demographic. I have posted about my personal experience of Senator Sanders, which is still not fully resolved. However, one of the truly spectacular political events of 2016 was a very credible Presidential nomination campaign devoid of corporate donations, dark money, PAC money, big DNC donor money, etc. The undeniable, indisputable proof that this was a realistic possibility was a political sea change that I welcomed euphorically. While not proven quite as indisputably, the strong evidence that Democrats cannot possibly survive if they continue trying to coast on messages like "yes, but Republicans are worse than we are" was also elating. So far, Democrats have not done much constructive about that evidence. To the contrary, they've been encouraging even more dissension and predicting the end of the world because Trump will be POTUS. However, I'm hoping they will "public servant up," after some time for reflection.

We also learned, I think, that voter enthusiasm does not suffice for a win. On the other hand, 2016 proved that decades in the "business," big bucks, big endorsements, a party closing ranks, "shenanigans," etc. don't suffice for a general win, either: The voters must like you and your message and trust you to deliver. While having your professional politician ducks in a row as well should clinch it, that's a hard premise to peddle, given President-Elect Trump and his campaign. (That Trump is indeed President Elect still seems surreal.) Perhaps most of all, voters proved they are not only fed up, but they are in your face, fricking, "I'd rather risk the end the world than keep letting you lot play me" fed up. I just hope that voters' patent determination not to support business as usual any longer causes politicians to make positive change(s), rather than causing them come up with more, worse and better-concealed "shenanigans" to rig elections.

I learned at least two other things about U.S. politics that I thought I had digested completely before 2016: One is that LOTE voting for a center right Democrat is the worst possible use of my vote, primary or general. The other is....

No matter how cynical you become, it's never enough to keep up.

Lily Tomlin

How about you?

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Unsliced bread (baguette and bastone)

The doll emerging from the slice of King's Cake feet first and bare bottom up, represents God made flesh, then made plastic. The person who gets the slice containing plastic baby Jesus will be King (or Queen?) for the day, assuming lucky winner doesn't choke or break a tooth and sue, or worse. Typically, the cake is done in Mardi Gras colors because Epiphany also marks the start of the season of Mardi Gras (which translates to "Fat Tuesday," mes amies). Mardi Gras season ends with Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which, of course, begins the Lenten Season. So, "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" y'all. That translates roughly to....