When the primary began, I believed that Sanders was the oldest but the least emotionally mature of the candidates. I saw him as a list of positions, with no real history of achievements. The essays he wrote in his thirties indicated a state of delayed adolescence. I did not write or believe or act as he did in my thirties. I was concerned about his tendency to lose his temper, not only with his staff, but also with anyone who disagreed with him. I was troubled by his lack of genuine long-term friendships with Democrats in the House and Senate. I was disturbed by his nurturing a life-long resentment of wealthy people. I also didn't see any indication in his upbringing or education of any solid religious or philosophical ethical grounding. Empathy and other-centered behavior seemed hard for him. I was worried that he had no real background in finance, economics, or law. That worry was confirmed in his interview with the New York Daily News and his apparent obliviousness to tax returns and campaign funding irregularities.
I believe that his present state of mind is delusional and "fantastical." He is behaving like an adolescent who wants his way, whatever the cost to others. He talks about who can or cannot beat Trump, but he has no clue how to run a country and how government operates (amazing naivete after so many years in the establishment). He has no talent for negotiation, for bonding with Democrats, for choosing the best means to bring about ends favorable to the common good. He cannot dialogue for more than a few minutes with people he disagrees with, and he would thoroughly botch international relations. He doesn't understand how banks work, taxes work, loans work, financial statements work. I find him incurious. I have researched many of his "favored agenda" more than he has. What does he really know about climate change, for example? Does he read? What does he read? Does he study? Does he learn from others? Where do his ideas come from, other than socialist texts in his college days? His health care proposal is a mishmash of unrealistic expectations of economic growth, broad and unattainable tax reforms, and a severely limited understanding of how the health care delivery system operates. His free college proposal is the same sort of product of oversimplified and unrealistic reasoning. Truthfully, everything looks simple to the uninformed. To those who really study existing problems, solutions are far more complicated and incremental. Except in fairy tales, no problems can be solved immediately and all at once.
Hillary understands stuff so much better than Bernie does. When she doesn't know something, she asks someone who does or looks for a source. When Bernie doesn't understand something, he makes up stuff. He is a list of positions, a lot of headlines with no genuine articles, a cover without a book, resentment without compassion, words without action, adversaries but few friends. His campaign is about a "future to believe in." But I don't see a dream we can all get excited about or an ideal we can strive for. I see "economic equality," but I don't see a dream with people in it. I don't see people working together for the common good, caring about one another, respecting one another, being kind to one another, loving one another, embracing common humanity. It is a cold vision of realigned money, and it is fueled by anger and resentment.
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