With the rise of irregular candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, however, the “lesser of two evils” idea has taken on a new meaning: instead of warring parties, there are now civil wars within parties as the status quo attempts to rein in the “radicals” who are raising hell within the ranks.

Despite their very different demeanors, Sanders and Trump have both bucked party orthodoxy and, in the process, deeply divided the liberal and conservative faithful, earning them reputations as loose cannons. Rest assured: their cannons are about as loose as meatloaf on Sunday. If these buffoons are what passes for “anti-establishment” these days, then I’ll take my seat, somewhat sadly, at the table with the party dinosaurs, imperfect though they may be.