Authenticity and Conviction

2016 presidential primaries have been some interesting social phenomena.

A 74 year old senator from Vermont has a huge following of passionate millennials. How many mid aged parents can connect with their young adult children at this level? There must be something special about him.

There are many reasons for the appeal of Bernie Sanders to a large sector of the society - his ideal and policy proposals resonate with this sector of the society due to current  economic divide, burden of school loans, increasing reliance on government welfare .....

His dry humor - he joked that he had only one underwear when  he railed against billionaires; his conviction of democratic socialism - he has practiced it at a town in Vermont for 40 years! His doing as he says - when he criticizes the corrupted campaign financing, wealthy buying election .... he raised his campaign fund from millions of ordinary people ... natural in his demeanor, unwavering in his belief, and does what he preaches ... is endearing.   What a stark contrast to his challenger, who is stiff and arrogant, opportunistic - changing her position as needed, saying fighting for poor but taking quarter million dollar speech fee. She criticizes the corrupted campaign financing, while she goes to Hollywood to raise fund  $35K per person! she is fighting for herself. What a hypocrite!

I don't believe in what Sanders preaches, but reading and watching news pieces about him and his campaign, I start to respect this self claimed democratic socialist. I am rooting for him on the democratic side.

It is worth noting the equally interesting primary on the Republican side. A billionaire businessman, Donald Trump, saying outrageous things in his rallies, showing no manner in debates .... Like many people, I predicted last fall that he would fade by Christmas 2015.....  But he has been #1 on Republican side so far in this election cycle. Why?  Political correctness upheld by the media and liberals deprives American people of freedom of speech. His fight against "main stream" media, speaking his mind on national stage, is fresh and liberating.

Of the remaining 5 presidential candidates from both Democrats and Republican, I believe that Ohio governor John Kasich is most qualified to be our next president, a moderate, a nice guy with proven track record for running Ohio in his second term. It seems that he is unlikely even to be nominated by Republicans.  In a Democracy, most popular person wins, not most qualified.