As
has already been written, people got really upset about Sanders getting
disrupted. I have written about some of the reasons for that, but one thing I
haven't really addressed is how people are really excited about Sanders.
It's
increasingly rare to be excited about a political candidate, so I was acting as
a killjoy there. That was not exactly intentional. I do feel the hype is
unwarranted, and my post was a reaction to that, though it was more about
stating my own position than pouring water on anyone else's preference.
For
what it's worth, I am undecided about whom to support. Given that it is August
2015, and we have over a year before the general election, and even several
months until the primaries, I am okay with this.
I
don't find anyone exciting, which is not that unusual. In 2008 I was very
reluctant to get excited over Barack Obama. Where that started to change was
while we were in Australia, and people there liked him so much, and were so
able to believe that he was not going to stomp all over diplomacy like Bush. I
did feel very good when he was elected.
His
presidency hasn't been everything that I wanted. I'm pretty sure that it hasn't
been everything he wanted. There has been such steady opposition from the other
side, with such a roar about any executive action, that the accomplishments
that he has are pretty miraculous.
One
thing I have seen pointed out a few times about Sanders and his irascibility is
that neither Barack Obama - due to stereotypes about angry black men and the
fear that invokes - nor Hillary Clinton - due to unfair gender expectations -
could get away with it.
Previously
I had seen that referred to as an example of white male privilege, but it was
pointed out today in the context of how measured the president has been,
despite being attacked regularly, that he has remained generally cool and
collected, and that has served him well.
It's
again a reminder that sometimes the pressures you have to learn to live with
can be areas of growth, regardless of how unfair and wrong the pressures are.
And,
it can lead to a concern about getting a hothead in office, someone who has
never felt a need to be tactful or compromise or to wait and study something
out.
Yes,
that might sound like a concern about Sanders, and it is to some extent, but
not to nearly the extent that it would be with Trump. It is especially a
concern because that seems to be what people like about him. He's refreshing
because he speaks his mind! Yes, he speaks his petty, racist, misogynistic,
poorly informed, egotistical mind. Great.
(But
there is another thing wrong with Trump, where Sanders has a clear advantage,
and we should get into that tomorrow.)
Otherwise,
it's had to get excited about any of the presidential candidates, and one thing
we have gotten wrong is focusing so much on that aspect of politics, which will
be yet another post.
For
now, we will have an election, and someone will become the next president.
That's the way it works, and despite being often disappointing, it is
time-honored, and certainly better than a monarchy.
Knowing
that, again, this is the time to raise your issues, while it's early. Tell the
candidates what issues you care about, ask questions, on both sides. It is not
the only thing that matters, but it still does matter, and right now things are
more fluid than they will be in a few months.
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