Sanders is the new Nader. That is, Sanders is the current Democratic party machine’s primary scapegoat for their failure to connect to diverse constituencies, to inspire, to have a coherent policy platform beyond reactions to Republican affronts. In short, for their failure to offer compelling leadership.

At the start of this century, Democrats blamed Ralph Nader, who (for the youngsters here) ran in 2000 as a Green Party candidate, taking 2.74% of the popular vote. I still occasionally hear ‘liberal’ boomers complaining — almost 20 years later — about how Nader was a ‘spoiler’ and ‘lost’ the election for the Democrats.

If 2.74% is enough to wreck the Democrats’ chances, they’ve got bigger problems than Nader. Or Sanders.

More importantly, for all of us: when the shape and direction of our national and international policies hang on as little as a percentage point or even half a percentage point, this whole country has bigger problems. A nation this intensely divided, with neither of the only allowed parties offering anything but more division, is headed for a fall.