At a moment when Americans are feeling more prosperous than they have in years, much of the Democratic Party is intent on electing as president a man who has called for a socialist revolution — and those Democrats who see nominating him as a mistake have no idea how to stop him.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders essentially tied for first place in the Iowa caucuses last week and has now won the New Hampshire primary. Centrist Democrats disagree with much of his agenda and think his nomination would radically reduce the party's chances of winning the presidential race in November. But the contests so far have done more to consolidate the party's left wing behind Sanders than to resolve the muddle among those centrists.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sanders's main rival for left-wing votes, struggled to break into double digits in a neighboring state. Her decision to embrace Medicare for All turned out to be a major miscalculation. Voters in the center have grown more distressed by the proposal as it has gotten more attention, while the voters who like it prefer the true believer, Sanders.