Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, a watershed moment some believe has been dampened by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' continued campaign. The senator vows to fight on until the July convention, a pledge he maintained after meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday. But Sanders also promised not to crack the Left in two, saying, “I look forward to meeting with (Hillary Clinton) in the near future to see how we can work together to defeat Donald Trump.”
At the moment, Sanders’ sole hope lies in swaying superdelegates, but considering Clinton won the popular vote, majorities among women and people of color, and endorsements from Obama and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, that seems extremely unlikely—even if Sanders can claim better numbers than Clinton when it comes to beating Trump head-on. Recently, Clinton has been (gently) nudging Sanders to drop out, citing her decision to do the same in 2008 when Obama electrified the country and leapfrogged her in the polls. Hillary's got a point—against a world-shifting threat like Trump, party unity is paramount.
A recent study from Stanford and Oxford suggests that defeated challengers hurt the party favorite when they stay in races, especially those with a lot of media attention. But researchers only studied Congressional contests and Trump embodies an unprecedented combination of fact-bending reality show unpredictability, who has channeled his supporters' raw angst to defeat his challengers despite a slew of controversies. The man does not conform to historical patterns.
Though polar ideological opposites, Trump (aggression) and Sanders (compassion) both espouse a prevalent idea: The status quo isn't working and we need revolutionary change. Some Democrats fear an exodus of Bernie supporters to Trump’s camp, but that's not really based in reality. Clinton crushes Trump in polls of young voters, Sanders' largest demographic of support.
Until and after he concedes, Sanders will try to push Hillary left. He's already increased her focus on Wall Street, which culminated in a New York Timesop-ed in which she said she'd curb too-big banks—one of Bernie's most prominent platforms. And following Sanders' lead, Clinton also rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, pledged not to cut Social Security, and blasted Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder over Flint's water crisis.
Since Trump is disliked by nearly 70 percent of Americans, Hillary can still win the election while incorporating Sanders' more popular progressive policies. In the general election, a well-liked, widely-followed speaker that skewers bigotry is exactly the type of ally Clinton needs. Higher taxes don’t sound so bad when juxtaposed against an unstable, misogynistic, racist narcissist who spews lies and scams the working class by charging $35,000 for a fake university that teaches nothing.
Ultimately, Sanders will help halt Trump’s regressive revolution by keeping discourse elevated, passionate, and people-centered. Primary season could have been a cakewalk for Hillary. Instead, Sanders offered a substantive, potent challenger who sharpened her oratory skills and refined her platform. She won’t get shook in a debate against a blustering bully from Queens with a bird’s nest toupee because she’s already gone head-head with a balding, finger-wagging socialist from Brooklyn. Sanders ignited the often-apathetic youth and highlighted a progressive direction for the party that contrasts sharply with Republicans who have tumbled backwards into nativism, stagnation, and unreflective aggression—and seem unsure how to emerge clean from their muddy, Trump-dug hole. If Hillary can meaningfully appease Bernie and his 12 million followers, the Democratic Party will emerge from this rough patch stronger and broader than ever, prepared not just for 2016, but for the party’s more progressive future.
Hillary will enter the general election battle-tested and backed by the biggest voices in her party, including Sanders. And she’ll definitely bury Trump.
