4 Ways to Keep the Peace When Your Partner Is Voting For Hillary – or Bernie | The Nation

In recent days, the Democratic presidential campaign has become increasingly fractious. From questions about each other’s “qualifications” for the job to the fierce exchanges during their heated debate in Brooklyn, tension between Clinton and Sanders is on the rise. As comedian Paula Poundstone tweeted, “You’re both qualified. You also both need a nap.” And it’s not just the candidates who need to give it a rest.

It seems like everyone on the left is cranky—and it’s only getting worse. Recent primary wins by Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton’s continuing lead in delegate count mean that the Democratic Primary ain’t over till it’s over on June 25th. That’s nearly 100 days of your Facebook feed filled with people who agree on most issues being totally dismissive and mean to one another. Sure, it’s not as bad as on the other side of the political spectrum, where comparing penis size and spousal hotness has become the norm. But do we really have to accuse one another of lying, cheating, head-in-the-sand stupidity when we more or less want the same things? Universal healthcare, reproductive justice, livable wages, humane immigration policies, and an end to endless war?

The nastiness can get even more personal when you’re a mixed-candidate couple, like we are. We won’t lie to you: We don’t have it all figured out. In fact, we are the kind of couple that can get into a serious argument over things like how to properly make a hard-boiled egg or the best curriculum for a gender studies program. And of course we debate—sometimes vociferously—the merits of our preferred candidates. Yet somehow in this most contentious of election seasons, we have managed to maintain our pro-Bernie/pro-Hillary stances without a single fight. No-one has slept on the couch… yet.

Read the full article at The Nation.