The two-party four-day political extravaganzas have convened, attempted some semblance of party unity, and now offer up their chosen nominees for general election approval come November.

The Republicans finally came to grips with the fact that democracy is very much alive within their ranks. Try as it might, the GOP just couldn’t sufficiently stop an insurgent groundswell of overarching discontent. Their platform and presidential last man standing couldn’t be more alienating of reasoned moderation or accommodation. When Ted Cruz exhibited a refreshing example of political integrity by breaking ranks he was roundly booed. When Trump completely blindsided his party’s homophobic base by unilaterally defending the LGBTQ community he was inexplicably applauded. Go figure the allure of Trump. This too is what democracy looks like.

Democracy on the Democratic side looked more like an inside job than the will of the people. All that will be fixed. Next time, but not now. Despite being sandbagged by an adeptly timed WikiLeaks, Clinton’s rigged ascendancy succeeded. What real concern is yet another pesky email scandal?

Despite fresh distrust of Hillary and the “I’m With Her” DNC, the Democrat Plan A for holding on to the White House is to run their Plan B from eight years ago, with even more negative baggage than she was burdened with back then. Back then, their party prevailed because of a charismatic newcomer with all the engaging appeal of a grassroots rising star. Think Bernie, only younger.

Obama’s catchphrase was “Hope and Change.” His challenger for the nomination tripped up in large part on her ill-considered endorsement of the establishment’s Iraq war. Obama, proven far more pragmatic than idealistic in hindsight, campaigned against such “dumb wars.” Even after the addition of Secretary of State to her resume, Hillary seemingly hasn’t learned from that lesson. Neither has the DNC, blind to Sanders’s insight that all the experience in the world will never trump poor judgment.

The DNC chose to unethically favor the person who struck out last time up to bat and trailed 16 points behind Sanders through much of the primary race. After two terms of intractable Republican opposition to Obama, mostly as an individual rather than his politics, they wager that Hillary Clinton can overcome an equally visceral personal hatred. If Donald Trump had no chance of winning, or wasn’t widely purported as a modern day Hitler, that would be one thing. But, if the Democrats really believe Trump is the personification of Armageddon, one would think they should run someone with as few negatives as possible, someone with a separately compelling message rather than simply being the designated anti- Trump despite even lower trustworthiness among the general electorate. Again, think Bernie Sanders.

The sadness I felt in watching the Democratic convention was chiefly that of witnessing so much vigorous new life within the party wither on the vine of an openly dismissive established order. The great attraction of Sanders, especially to his legions of young followers, was that his message was completely absent of bull. His message was all about hard truths absent of any hypocrisy or duplicity. What he said was unequivocally sincere and he always traveled the high road. Even in defeat, most of that remained intact as he tried to ameliorate the circumstances and buoy the concept of a revolution now tempered for the “greater good” so it can remain seated at the Democratic “grownup” table.

I’d rather be “card table” seated with those “childish” enough to still be capable of uncompromised idealism. I’ve sat too many times at the “adult” table, hedging my bets and voting for the least offensive practical reality. Those well-intended reluctant embraces of forced compromise achieved as much capitulation as progress. Over time, time takes over. One becomes accustomed to engaging issues separately rather than connecting the dots towards achieving maximum change. Worn down over time, too many fail to differentiate between growing up and growing old, repeatedly giving up ‘till next time their voice is allowed to be expressed and then again settling for the meager either/or choice we are allowed to “freely” endorse.

Sanders joined the Democrats to avoid traditional dismissal at the third-party card table and nearly succeeded in working the system even knowing that it was gamed against him. His accomplishment remains historic and hopefully game-changing upon the direction America’s first woman president will take us.

Cory Booker’s passionate pro Hillary convention speech cautioned that, “We cannot be seduced by the cynicism of politics.” Great speech, but Clinton’s coronation could hardly appear more cynical, calculating, or manipulative of the genuine populist concerns Sanders popularized and which she now halfheartedly co-opts.

Clinton and the DNC hijacked the nomination and now are laying a guilt trip on Sanders’s supporters, leveraging their fears. They’re saying that if you don’t vote for Hillary, and Trump wins, the responsibility and blame are on you.

No way. Nohow. If Donald Trump wins the White House the blame rests squarely on Hillary Clinton, and her DNC, for not responsibly endorsing

Bernie Sanders, the odds-on favorite. Hillary’s nomination remains a hubris-driven, and childishly stubborn, worrisome gamble.

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Gary Anderson lives in Bath.