Bernie won’t be — and shouldn’t be — the Dems’ nominee

Certainly, Sanders has succeeded in changing the terms of the debate on the Democratic side, and for the better. His relentless critique of the inequities of the economic system has struck home with a lot of people, and it has struck home because he’s right about something essential: Things have gotten screwed up. Economic security, opportunity and equity are shrinking, not expanding, and the American people have noticed. Change is required, and that change does not come in the form of tax cuts for the rich and a weakening of Medicare, Social Security and other strands in the social safety net, as Republican candidates argue.

That’s a powerful, accurate and emotionally resonant message. But as members of both parties need to remember, you don’t elect a candidate to send a message, you elect a candidate to govern. In Sanders’ case, while he vividly describes the primary economic and political challenge that we face, he does not offer politically plausible policies to address it. He also lacks a well-rounded approach to a range of other issues, including foreign policy, that voters ought to demand of a presidential candidate.

And frankly, he is not the person who ought to lead the Democratic Party into battle this fall. To bring the argument closer to home, ask Georgia Democrats whether they want to run for office later this year with a self-described socialist as their party’s standard bearer. They do not. You can quibble all you want about what Sanders really means with that label — it’s a lot less radical than many might fear — but in the heat of a campaign such quibbles get you nowhere.

So far, President Obama is staying officially neutral. In an interview published in Politico this week, he speaks highly of both Sanders and Clinton as contenders for the nomination and makes clear his intent to stay out of the fight. But the admiration, both personal and professional, that he expresses for Clinton is striking.

He also says something else pretty telling. His No. 1 goal, he says, is to ensure that he is replaced by a Democrat who is able to protect and build upon his legacy. His nightmare scenario is being succeeded by a Republican intent on undoing the previous eight years, from the nuclear deal with Iran to climate change, from immigration to Obamacare.

That gives Clinton a big ace up her sleeve. If Sanders begins to turn potential into reality and becomes a full-blown threat to win the nomination, I have a hard time believing that Obama would be willing to sit back and bet his legacy on a Vermont socialist winning the general election.