I don't think I'm alone when I say that picking a candidate to get behind this election year feels, and has felt since the beginning, a lot like picking which of the "Human Centipede" movies is the best. Between both the Republicans and the Democrats, I was never able to look at any of the candidates and think, "THIS is who we need. THIS is the person who will set America straight." I do, however, understand that there was one candidate on the Democratic side that had supporters who truly adore him. I am obviously talking about Senator Bernie Sanders. However, the former Burlington mayor was, in my opinion, the most terrifying of all the candidates.

Before I progress, I want to clarify one thing, I am a registered Republican. However, I believe my party has been leaving me lately. I support marriage equality. I support tighter gun control. I am against the death penalty. I am a feminist. That's why I consider myself an independent. In fact, given the extreme circumstances, I may find myself voting Democrat in November. Despite my being a Republican, I will say one positive thing about Bernie Sanders: I think he has the biggest, most beautiful heart out of any politician I have ever seen. He has real passion in doing what is best for the world. He basically is a human manifestation of the lyrics of John Lennon's "Imagine." But, what is so terrifying to me, aside from his economic policies (which I personally believe, despite his best intentions, are certifiably insane) is his divisiveness. Yeah, you read that correctly. And you probably think I'm an idiot. But hear me out.

Okay, so Donald Trump has obviously been the more divisive candidate this election year. His comments on illegal immigrants, Muslims, and every other candidate were incredibly polarizing and disgraceful. Yet, I think the other guy who is pulling his party into an angry state of bedlam is Senator Sanders. I believe he is the perfect example of one of those people who unfairly "calls everything racist, sexist, homophobic, etc." that conservatives often complain about. Throughout his campaign, and even today in his efforts to get Hillary Clinton elected, he has used what I like to refer to as the "good guy card." He masqueraded his campaign as the most morally-charged campaign in American history, but it has fueled a new hatred: hatred of Republicans. He devoted his campaign to telling us how Republicans are bigots (I’ve seen him use the word “bigotry” more times in the past year than I’ve probably said my own name in my lifetime). Here’s the problem with that—if you’re running around, giving everyone that disagrees with you a negative label, you, by definition, are a bigot. The biggest bigot of them all, I may add. And yet, no one says this about him; they only add to the story of how his message and his revolution are the most tear-jerkingly beautiful event in recent history.

Now, if you’re a Bernie Sanders supporter, I’m not saying you’re an idiot or a bigot. In fact, there are undoubtedly a lot of Bernie supporters who are smarter than me. It’d be crazy to assume that I’m smarter than everyone who supports a particular candidate. But, I, as a former Trump supporter (ouch... my fingers cramped up just typing that, but it's true), am a first-rate witness to what it’s like being on the other side of the Bernie battle.

Bernie is so politically-correct that it’s treated as a crime to disagree with him. I was even skeptical as to whether or not I should publish this article because I don’t want to be abused on the Internet. But, to me, someone has to say it.

For example, one can’t shed positive light on Trump’s economic proposals without being called a racist. One can’t wear a “Make America Great Again” hat in public without, at the absolute very least, getting dirty looks from people. Respect for opposing opinions has disappeared from this country. People go to Trump rallies to support the guy whom they think will set America straight, and they go home with egg yolks in their hair because dozens of protesters crowded around them to scream in their face and throw eggs at them. Or, they might go home with a swollen eye because a protester came out of nowhere and punched him in the face, or even threw rocks at him or her (yeah, that actually happened at his rallies). Every time this happened (and if you watch the news, you know it happened a lot), it was done primarily by Bernie supporters.

You can’t preach tolerance while your supporters attack people on the basis that they support a different candidate. These were hate crimes. This was Bernie’s biggest political flaw in my eyes. Not once did he apprehend his supporters. Not once did he take the podium and say, “I understand that you love my message and disagree with Donald Trump’s message. However, that is no reason for violence.” Instead, he kept throwing coal into the fire, by attacking the Republican Party without relent.

In the midst of this mess of an election, I can’t help but ask myself, is this how it’s gonna be from now on? Is it this much of a crime to have differing views from the Democratic Party, that people feel the right to attack at a physical level? I’m not saying that the opposite doesn’t happen; there have been cases where Trump supporters have assaulted suspected illegal immigrants. And that's disgusting. But that isn’t happening in massive protests at every Democratic rally. It hasn’t happened at any. Republicans don't storm Bernie rallies, spitting "Communist!" in his supporters' faces. It has only really gone the other way around.

America is in its most divided state probably since the Civil freaking War. One presidential nominee is suggesting we deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, and the left-wingers and even a good chunk of conservatives, including yours truly, are at a new level of pissed. But the Democratic side is dividing us even more by attacking Republican values so much that the public perception of the GOP is reduced to racist, sexist, homophobic, bigoted trash that can be kicked around without repercussion. Go ahead and disagree, tell people why they’re wrong. I encourage that from both sides. But don’t automatically label people as good or bad based on their political affiliation. It is that behavior that causes half of the country to be so afraid to be open about their views that they have to refer to themselves as the “silent majority.” As much as I respect Bernie Sanders, I feel that he has been the catalyst for this violent, divisive culture coming from a party that focuses on preaching love and tolerance. The Democratic Party had the easiest opportunity to look like the better party this election, but instead, they reduced themselves to violence and hate. But, last time I checked, this is not the Divided States of The Republican and Democratic Parties. This is the UNITED States of America. We cannot let the angry rhetoric of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump tear us apart. One of my favorite quotes of all time, by writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall, symbolizes the America I know: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Let’s bring that back.