Bernie is neither a New Deal Democrat nor a full blooded socialist. He is, in his words, a democratic socialist who is pushing the political needle about as far as it will go without it ricocheting back on him.

If elected he would, provided the Congress is willing, make the country more just, egalitarian and fair. Unlike Trump he wouldn’t lay waste to our democracy, constitution, institutions and rule of law. In fact, he would defend and breathe life into them. While I favor Elizabeth Warren, in part because I find her more electable than Bernie, I would gladly support and canvass here and in some battleground states if Bernie is the nominee.

When I watched Trump’s first comments downplaying, if not dismissing, the coronavirus, I couldn’t help but remember then president George Bush peering down from Air Force 1 on the hurricane devastated city of New Orleans. That optic sent Bush’s popularity plummeting not only because of his seeming indifference and detachment. It also suggested an incompetence in the face of a human crisis of extraordinary proportions.

The same is on display in Trump’s gross (mis)handling of the coronavirus and it could undo him. Time will tell. But, of course, the much larger issue is to what degree will his incompetence, ignorance, and lying exact needless suffering and death from people here as well as worldwide.

Flexibility has been a hallmark of great progressive and left leaders. Lincoln and Douglass displayed it in their time. Roosevelt in the Depression and War years. King in the civil rights era. Obama more recently. A refusal to make any adjustments in program, demands, organizing themes, and tone, no matter what the situation, may seem admirable on its face. But in a practical sense, it can easily turn into a fool’s errand and script for defeat.

If Bernie has a substantial lead in the delegate count in June, and it looks like he will, he will be the nominee. Only if the delegate count is close will the selection process be contested. And that’s understandable, not a conspiracy.

The proclaimed war of Bernie’s supporters against the Democratic Party “Establishment” is strategically misguided. It may feel like the right thing to do, but it’s akin to shooting yourself in the foot. Come fall, if Bernie wins the nomination, he will need the help of the party’s “establishment,” party regulars, and party leaders, like the Obamas, in states like PA, OH, MI, WI, IA, Fl, AZ, and NC, not to mention across the country.

By the same token, the moderate wing of the party has a similar duty to suspend unprincipled attacks on Bernie and minimize divisions. A united party will set the stage for winning the White House and Senate this fall, while a badly fractured Democratic Party will erase that possibility.