Since Bernie Sanders won Saturday’s Nevada caucuses running away, there’s been increasing chatter that he could run away with the whole thing and win the nomination.

That’s scrambled the Democratic Party, reportedly putting much of it into panic mode.

That will do no one any good.

If Sanders is to become the winner and the nominee, it is better for the party to coalesce and unify sooner rather than later, lest give strength to Donald Trump and his re-election campaign.

After we have come to this point, it’s critical to deny a clear criminal and authoritarian such as Trump another four years in the White House.

However, that leaves Sen Sanders with responsibilities towards the party, as well.

Russia reportedly has been interfering to somehow boost the Sanders campaign.

There isn’t even a hint or whiff that Sanders is doing anything to help or encourage this Russian effort.

Still, he ought to repeatedly denounce the effort–over and over and over again. In a case like this, you are better to be accused of over-communicating than under-communicating.

Beyond that, if Sanders wants to be seen as the new leader of the Democratic Party, he needs to start acting like it...now.

That means that Sanders needs to do whatever it takes to unify his party. He needs to actively listen to legitimate concerns other Democrats have and address them honestly and forthrightly.

This includes–maybe most importantly–Democrats on Capitol Hill. This is because a President Sanders is going to have to have the best working relationship possible in order to pass any of the aggressive progressive agenda Sanders has planned.

It takes more than big ideas to be president of the United States–it takes finesse and diplomacy.

Now is the time to see if Bernie Sanders has those within him as well.

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