Liberals who are incensed about a moderate candidate as the presumptive nominee need to take a collective deep breath. All they need to do is watch Donald Trump's ten minute hostage video from the Oval Office in which purportedly dealt with the coronavirus crisis to view the consequences of their failure to fall in line behind the nominee. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party must realize that they hold the practically the fate of the entire country in their hands. Any allegiance to Bernie Sanders must be checked at the door and turned into allegiance to Joe Biden when November rolls around.

For all intents and purposes, the race for the Democratic nomination is over. Biden gave Sanders a thumping and has won 15 out of the 21 last elections. Sanders remains in the race for now, awaiting a one-on-one debate with Biden in the hopes of stating his case one last time. From Sanders' standpoint, he likely knows enough not to make the debate a kamikaze mission. He understands that this is likely his last major primetime exposure other than a likely speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention and is possibly focusing on both his legacy and the long-term viability of his movement.

It Is On Sanders to Set the Tone When He Gets Out

Sanders needs to be careful about how he manages his legions of followers and to not create an environment where the Bernie Bros are too incited to the point where they cannot back the Democratic nominee. To do that, Sanders needs to state his case but telegraph his possible attacks to give Biden an opportunity to respond to them without being ambushed. Sanders has begun to do that, posting his questions for Biden to answer online. The Vermont senator likely knows that he has some leverage at this point because Biden would want an endorsement when Sanders drops out of the race assuming he does that after the next round of primary elections.

For Sanders at this point, he needs to look at this as a contest of ideas as opposed to a personal showdown between him and Biden knowing that Biden is likely going to be a transitional figure. He needs to look to the next generation and the political debate once Trump leaves office hopefully in 2021.

The onus is on Sanders and his supporters to understand that the real challenge here is making sure that Trump goes back to whatever state he calls home today (likely whichever one does not ask for his tax returns). They simply need to think of a mental image of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and imagine who they want to appoint her replacement. If the answer is Trump, then they can either stay home or not support the Democratic nominee.

Ideological Purity Should Not Exist When Trying to Defeat Trump

Ideological purity is a luxury that any Democratic voter cannot afford this time around. All they need to do is think of the consequences of a protest vote or lack of a vote back in 2016. While they may prefer Sanders to the rest of the field, the important part is to remember that it is just a preference. The "Bernie or Bust" mentality is a dangerous one because of the ramifications of what that "bust" truly is. "Bust" is four more years of "fake news" and "build the wall."

There is still plenty of room for the progressives to influence the debate in a Biden Administration. For starters, if Sanders falls in line, it could influence Biden's choice of a running mate. Given the likelihood that Biden serves only one term if elected, it would mean that the person is the presumptive frontrunner in 2024. However, they will need to realize that they will need to be inside the tent in order to maximize their own leverage. Their behavior from 2016 cannot be repeated, and it is incumbent on Sanders to manage that with a prompt endorsement of Biden when he exits the race. If he lets Biden twist in the wind or makes a show of having Biden grovel, it will weaken Biden's standing in the eyes of the general electorate.

Bernie Sanders is a smart politician. One does not become the next-to-last person standing in two primaries without some smarts or get elected to the United States Senate as a socialist. Thus, Bernie probably already knows this and will act accordingly, but it bears repeating.