Get the hell out of my way

Who hasn't wanted to say that at some point in their life? Maybe a shopper has lodged his cart in the aisle exactly in front of the Paul Newman pasta sauce and is contemplating the relative merits of marinara or basil with garlic, and all you want is to grab some sauce so you can go home and have a late dinner and you're already cranky because you're so very hungry. Maybe a grandma is driving especially slow in front of you because her arthritis is acting up, and if you somehow divined the reason you might be more sympathetic, but as it is you're already late and she's made you miss two lights. Or maybe you're a woman who has worked long hours for a company in the hope that you might get that coveted promotion, only to be passed over again and again by a suit who's younger and less experienced than you.

Or maybe you're Hillary Clinton, and you've worked your whole damn adult life to make real, positive change in the lives of poor families, overworked mothers, undocumented workers, and abused children. You've been skewered for putting career before the gentler arts of baking cookies and supporting your husband, the Governor, the President. You've been excoriated for staying with him even when the scandal of his infidelities must have made you both furious and mortified. You've been called a feminazi; you've been told you're not a good feminist.

So you, Dear Reader, are not Hillary, obviously, but Hillary is Hillary, and after all the shit she's gone through, she's still in the game. She knows international diplomacy, health care, and the law inside out. She knows how to deal with haters. She may not be charismatic, but she listens to people and apparently she's got a good sense of humor, and she's got an actionable five-part solution to every problem, whether it's to organize the White House egg hunt or crush ISIS.

So, look. Bernie Sanders is terrific. He's galvanized young people, brought awareness to the democratic socialist platform. You know that, the Berners know that, Bernie knows that. But, Bernie, you lost. The New York Times reports that you lost by any measure--popular vote, caucuses, people-who-might-have-voted-but-couldn't-get-to-the-caucus. You lost. Please do not try to ride that dead horse to Washington. The system may not always be fair, but can you verify categorically that it is rigged enough to compensate for the millions, millions of votes that she got and you didn't? With all due respect, you've had your moment. Now get the hell out of her way. In fact, do more than that. Support her. Implore your followers to support her. Shout out the good things she has done and will do. You have the charisma; she has the chops. Figure it out before it's too late.

P.S. New York magazine has a really interesting profile of her; I recommend it.