Super Tuesday was a great night for the front runners in both parties – Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Both won a majority of the states holding primaries and caucuses, both have amassed a delegate lead that will be difficult to surpass, and both have an easier pathway to the nomination after last night. The difference is the conversation that is happening within each party.
The Democratic Party is having a robust, passionate but civil conversation about the country’s most urgent problems: income inequality, equal pay, racial and gender barriers, criminal justice reform, immigration reform, gun safety, healthcare and how to keep our country safe. Both Clinton and Bernie Sanders are focused on these powerful messages that resonate with voters all across the country, and both campaigns are energizing voters and mobilizing people to get out to the polls.
Regardless of the results of Super Tuesday, Democrats should want this to continue for as long as possible, because while Democrats are engaged in this important civil conversation, the Republicans are engaged in all out civil war.
Super Tuesday proved that Hillary Clinton’s message is aligning with more voters across the country representative of our current demographics, and is on track to accumulate the pledged delegate count needed in order to win the party’s nomination.
Senator Sanders however, is raising a lot of money from individual donors, has an important passionate following and will continue going for the long haul. He should.
Clinton and Sanders need each other. At first glance, and at second and third as well, Democrats are gleeful – purely from a political standpoint – about the debacle that is happening on the Republican side. Donald Trump has emerged from Super Tuesday with a commanding lead in the delegate count and it will be hard if not impossible for of his rivals to catch up to him.
As a result, the panic from the establishment is palpable. The language that is being used by their candidates would be laughable – if it wasn’t so cringe-worthy and downright embarrassing. The conversation on the Republican side has devolved into one about the size of hands, orange spray tans and the Ku Klux Klan. This is not worthy of who we are as a country.
Donald Trump has done real damage to our political debate, but he will be a formidable candidate to beat given our polarized and divided electorate. He also is bringing into the political fold many new voters who have not participated before. He has a broad appeal that should not be underestimated.
The country will need every Democrat – liberal, moderate and conservative, from every demographic and walk of life, every independent, and any other American who wants to restore civility and sanity to our national debate – if we are to defeat Trump in the fall.
So while Hillary Clinton may have done very well last night, I am thrilled Senator Sanders is staying in this race and I hope he continues to focus on all the critical issues he and Hillary have been talking about. We need to mobilize and energize our voters throughout the entirety of Democratic primary process in order to lay the groundwork for what will be an epic get out the vote operation if we are to ensure that Donald Trump will never be President Trump. And Sanders plays an important role in that effort.
Hillary Clinton supporters should welcome Bernie Sanders staying in this race and not to seem to want to push him out. While our conversation has been civil and downright tame compared to the circus of the Republicans, there have been some harsh exchanges between Sanders supporters and those of Hillary Clinton. This needs to stop. We are not each other’s nemesis. We have to focus our energy and our fire on defeating the Republican nominee, whomever that may be. Given last night’s results, it will most likely be Donald Trump.
There is no shortage of material with which to hammer Donald Trump. He has called Mexicans rapists and murderers; women pigs, nursing moms disgusting and Muslims terrorists that we need to keep out. All of these clips are political attack ads in the making.
And we haven’t even mentioned Trump’s nebulous business dealings. From Trump University to Trump mortgages, to folks laid off because of his numerous bankruptcies and the people Trump has hurt as he chartered his golden path to power and glory, will be paraded out to give their testimonials to the world.
Still, we need everyone to take him on. After the contest is over, Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders should work together to unite the party. She has already stated he will be the first one she calls for help and advice should she be the nominee. And, if he wins, I am sure he will reach out to her. We will be up against a Republican nominee who will roll back the clock on all the gains we have made on key issues, including health care, job creation, diversity and inclusion, fighting discrimination, immigration, and having a coherent foreign policy that keeps our families safe. It is in our hands, and together, we can win yuge!
This article originally appeared in The Guardian
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