The very presence of Sanders on the national stage reveals, every day, many great truths about American politics at the end of 2016.

The first great truth is that there is a progressive majority in America waiting to find the next Franklin Roosevelt or John Kennedy to lead the nation. This is why I repeatedly noted throughout 2016 that to clearly understand the political state of the union, we must remember that Sanders repeatedly defeated Trump in match-up polling by landslide margins throughout the campaign, and leads Trump in favorable/unfavorable polling today by similar or greater landslide margins.

Another great truth as 2016 ends is that Trump, even with assists from FBI Director James Comey and Russian dictator Putin, was defeated in the popular vote by Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by almost 3 million votes. If there is any true popular mandate, it belongs to Sanders, who swamped Trump in polls, or Clinton, who beat Trump handily in a one person, one vote election.

The greatest truth as 2016 ends is that Trump's claims to be a populist could be deemed a fraud by the federal consumer protection agency created by the brilliance of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) which is now under attack by Republicans who pretend to be populist.

The most staggering fake news story in 2016 was that Trump was a populist of any kind, and the most stunning real news story for 2017 will be the degree that Sanders, Warren and other leading progressives will make this evident to a huge majority of voters after Trump is inaugurated.