Hillary Clinton may have been right when she said, after her victory Tuesday in New York, that there’s no place like home—at least as far as Bernie Sanders is concerned. After his dramatic loss there this week, it’s time for Bernie Sanders to hit the bricks.
He’s back in Vermont regrouping with his team, but with only a few states left and Hillary Clinton holding an insurmountable lead, it’s time for Bernie Sanders to go back to doing what he does best—yelling about the economy in fair trade coffee shops to anyone who will listen—and leave the Presidential race to the other Democratic septuagenarian.
Having made it this far, he is, understandably, holding on to hope. On Tuesday, in the wake of his defeat, his campaign manager desperately scribbled on a US map, trying to make sense of a “way forward” through to the convention, defying logic and most polling data to blaze a Bernie trail to victory through California. Sanders’ campaign sent an email to supporters this morning swearing that there was still a route to victory and begging for donations: “We still have a path to the nomination, and our plan is to win the pledged delegates in this primary. Next week five states vote, and there are A LOT of delegates up for grabs.”
But next week, those five states will likely vote for Hillary Clinton. She leads by 13 points in Pennsylvania, by 20 points in Maryland, by almost eight in Connecticut, by seven in Delaware and nine in Rhode Island. Bernie Sanders may not be known for his grasp on reality, but to say he’s got a chance at snagging the nomination with these next five states is a whopper, even for him. But Bernie Sanders has nothing without spin.
And spin is absolutely necessary. To keep his supporters Feeling the Bern (at least enough to keep donating in $27 increments), and wrangle the interest of superdelegates, Bernie Sanders needs to project the idea that he still has it together. After all, “The Bern” is a way of life, apparently unconstrained by such plebeian details as the confines of a Presidential campaign, or the dictates of time and space. It’s a movement, complete with crocheted dolls and hand-lettered ironic signs, and a sense of belonging most millennials don’t get from the cold, dark wilderness of higher education. To brush the Bernie dream now would be to crush their trust in the future and their belief in the beauty of their dreams.
The only thing in Bernie’s corner are national poll numbers, which show Sanders about two points behind Clinton. As the nomination process draws to a close, and more states finish up their primaries, those national numbers matter less. Sanders might be very popular, but he’s also reaping the benefit of national Democrats sliding into the “depression” stage of grief over having to nominate Hillary Clinton. She struggles more now with negative press, but it’s too little too late to salvage Bernie’s delegate count —even if he snags a superdelegate or two—and that’s ultimately what matters.
There are reasons for Bernie to feel good about what he’s accomplished, even if he ties up his Presidential campaign with this week’s Berniechella. He’s made socialism a key demand of Democratic voters, pushing Hillary Clinton further to the left, potentially making it easier to defeat her in a general election. He’s also given Elizabeth Warren a place on the national stage, where she can seem professional and thoughtful in her ideals by comparison. He’s brought Vampire Weekend into the fold, and will dramatically improve the entertainment at the Democratic National Convention. He’s temporarily revived Larry David’s career. And he’s given thousands of Republicans the chance to consider whether life would be worse under an avowed socialist or Donald Trump.
For Republicans, the field is slightly different. By staying in the race, both Ted Cruz and John Kasich position themselves as kingmakers, poised to either hand their delegates (and the nomination) to Trump, or to spoil Trump’s march to victory by causing a contested convention. Either way, they will get something in return for their cooperation (Trump is already talking about a Trump-Kasich ticket).
For Bernie, VP is out of the question, unless its a position at Ben & Jerry’s. Ultimately, it’s time to bow out.