One more thing on Bernie Sanders

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.