Bernie Sanders and his Wife Jane
As some of my readers probably know I'm a registered Republican, or at least I was until 2 pm today. I almost never answer my phone unless I recognize the phone number on my Caller ID or the person leaves a message and I want to speak to them. For some reason I picked up a phone call this afternoon without waiting to identify the caller.
The caller was a supporter of Bernie Sanders and asked if I was a registered Democrat. I told him I am not. He said today is the last day to change my Party affiliation online if I wanted to vote for Bernie in the upcoming Democratic Party Primary.
Well the thought of a Hillary / Trump election is horrifying to me, so I thought "OK I could vote for Bernie." So I went online to the California Voter Registration website and re-registered as a Democrat. I have not been a registered Democrat for over 20 years, so it felt a little strange, but I believe the President of the United States is worth it.
So why Bernie over Trump or Hillary? Isn't he some-kind of Socialist (horrors!), No. Last week I even posted a comment on his website to drop the "Socialist" label because it's a big turnoff. Nobody here cares about how happy Denmark is, but the Socialist Danes are officially the happiest people in the World. They are also the best looking people in the Word, or at least the best looking Caucasian people. For example Scarlett Johansson is Danish.
I visited Denmark over 50 years ago, and they really are very attractive people, and nice, friendly, prosperous, and happy. Danish Socialism is fine for Danes but not for us. Bernie seems to be soft-pedaling that Socialism theme lately.
So what does Bernie have going for him if being a self-professed Socialist isn't it? He's old, even older than I am, at 74, and he's Jewish. He's been a Professional Politician for 35 years. So why not Trump, who's not quite that old, at 69, not a Professional Politician, and some sort of Christian.
Trump is a business man. He builds or owns real estate investments, office buildings, golf clubs, hotels, and resorts. These are the kind of businesses that he knows. Running a Country Club isn't the same as running a Country. Trump has no experience in politics other than supporting candidates including the Clintons. Not exactly a prime recommendation to take over a top job without any prior experience.
On the other hand, Bernie knows all about the American political system from the bottom up. He's been a Mayor, a Representative in Congress, and a Senator. So he is probably one of the most qualified candidates to be President. Contrary to popular opinion, not having any experience in the career path to the Presidency isn't an advantage in doing the job.
So what is the job of President? It is one third of the three arms of government established in the Constitution: Legislature (Senate and Congress) that make the laws, Executive (President) that approves (signs) the laws, and the Courts, which enforce the laws.
Bernie has experience in two of the three areas – Legislature and to a smaller degree, Executive as Mayor of Burlington, VT. Bernie also has the highest approval rating from his constituents of anyone in Congress except for Rand Paul, who is tied with Bernie at 75%.
Bernie has been called a "Communist," or "Crazy old man." He's neither. He's got all his marbles, as my mother would say, and he has many years of experience working in the Senate with members of both parties. They know him, they may not always agree with his views, but they can and will work with him and not against him as so many have against Obama.
We still have time to save the election from Trump vs. Hillary. If you are not registered as a Democrat or Decline to State, you can change your registration online today at https://covr.sos.ca.gov/?language=en-US. If you miss this opportunity, you can still re-register in person before the Primary on June 7th.
