To say politics in 2016 was extraordinary is to make the understatement of the century.
Summing up the oddest, silliest and most head-scratching political moments of the year wasn’t that much of a problem considering the fact there was so much silliness to choose from.
But let’s be honest. For as many of those silly moments the aftermath of the presidential election has left our country divided. How much joy could anyone really take in President-elect Donald Trump’s goofy tete-a-tete with Kanye West when it came against the backdrop of Hillary Clinton blaming Russia for her loss against Donald Trump. Really!
Even the moments in the presidential debates that became fodder for giggly social media memes — “bad hombres,” “nasty woman,” Hillary Clinton’s shimmy and Trump’s sniffles — whoa nelly.
But it would be foolish to ignore those who say the attention paid to kooky campaign moments is precisely what has eroded public trust in mainstream journalism.
Still, a couple of the most goofy moments in national politics happened when:
Chris Christie’s Controversial M&M Strategy
It wasn’t a great year for the Governor of New Jersey. Chris Christie’s approval rating has slumped almost to the teens and his early loyalty to then-candidate Donald Trump hasn’t been rewarded with the Cabinet position he may have planned on. But you’ve got to hand it to Christie for standing by his principles when he was ridiculed this March for dumping the contents of a small bag of M&M’s into a bigger box. “There’s a bag inside the box, you dope!” he told a pair of radio hosts who questioned his method. “It’s easier to hold the box than it is to hold the bag!” No apologies, Governor. No apologies.
How about the goofy Libertarian Party Chair candidate who got naked on stage, drops out–life continues
It’s a testament to the peculiarity of 2016 that a candidate for a significant party office stripped down to a thong on stage at a televised convention and the public response was a weary: “Ugh, what now?” But it happened, it was dumb. He lost.
In Milwaukee
violence Took Center Stage on the National media circuit
In August, a north side Milwaukee neighborhood erupted in two nights of violence after the police shooting of a young black man, Sylville Smith. His death at the hands of a black Milwaukee officer unleashed simmering anger in the Sherman Park neighborhood, with eight businesses burned, other properties looted and several officers and civilians injured. In a rare move, the officer who killed Smith, Dominique Heaggan-Brown, was charged in December with first-degree reckless homicide. Heaggan-Brown had already been fired after he was charged in a separate case with sexual assault.
Some bright moments for Latinos – Top Two Latino Moments in Sports – 2016
Monica Puig brings Puerto Rico its first-ever Olympic gold medal
In its Olympic history, Puerto Rico has participated in 18 Olympiads. Before 2016 the Caribbean island only had eight medals to show for it, none of them were gold, and six of them came in the boxing ring. Out of those eight, six were bronze. The most recent silver medal came during the 2012 games in London thanks to wrestler Jaime Espinal. Enter Monica Puig.
Coming into the Rio games Puig was ranked No. 33 in the world by the WTA. She had never won a grand slam event, and only had three singles titles overall. But in Brazil she was a woman on a mission as she swept past seven other competitors to not only become just the second unseeded player to win a medal, but to also make Puerto Rican history by claiming the island’s first Olympic gold medal. As competitive as Puerto Rico has been in boxing, wrestling, and even basketball, it was tennis that allowed “La Borinqueña” to be played at the medal ceremony.
Laurie Hernandez is the new face of Team USA gymnastics
She’s only 16, but for nearly two weeks Team USA gymnast Laurie Hernandez stole our hearts and bested some of the world’s top athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics. As the youngest member of USA Gymnastics, Hernandez’s efforts on the vault, balance beam, and floor exercise pushed the United States to 13 total medals. Eight of which were gold, and Hernandez added two (gold and silver) to her personal collection.
Her Olympic performance landed her a spot on season 23 of “Dancing with the Stars” which she also won. Is there anything she can’t do?
2016 was an amazing year for these athletes and we’re excited to see what 2017 has in store.
Here Are More Memorable Moments From 2016
Protester Ieshia Evans is detained by law enforcement on July 9 near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department during protests over the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Sterling’s death, followed by the fatal shooting of another black man, Philando Castile, 32, near St. Paul, Minnesota, revived a wave of protests in recent years over police treatment of minorities that has given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds babies at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Syrian men carrying babies make their way through the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held Salihin neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo.
Some who will be remembered for the ages who died in 2016 include: Prince, Castro and Ali, may they Rest In Peace.
