Carter blogged that, with Donald Trump polling in second place in the Republican race for President, some of his opponents might wonder whether “some evil genie popped out of a bottle and spewed crazy-dust all over Republican voters.”

Well, Democrats take second place to none when it comes to crazy dust.

How else do you explain Bernie Sanders’ rise?

He’s attracting big crowds in New Hampshire. He’s gaining in some polls. He’s the buzz on social media. He raised $15 million. (Ted Cruz, for all his Texas and billionaire friends, raised $10 million. Of course, Clinton raised $45 million.)

Really? We’re going to nominate a Socialist whose political views got stuck in a 1968 time machine? Who has no appeal whatsoever to minority voters? Whose record is a veritable treasure trove for opposition research?

No, we’re not. No more than Republicans will nominate Trump.

This is part of the madness, the part that reveals what lurks in the hidden hearts of the Democratic left and the Republican right.

On the left, it’s the illusion that Americans really, really want a really, really liberal President. Like, say, George McGovern.

On the right, it’s the bigoted blovations that feed Fox News fanatics.

On both, it’s a political death wish.