What began as a quixotic bid for the presidential nomination of a party to which he really doesn’t even belong suddenly became quite real as the Democratic Party’s progressive wing fully indulged their doubts about Barack Obama’s heir apparent. Heading into the first Democratic debate, Bernie Sanders was surging in the polls. He had handily overtaken Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire and appeared set to do the same in Iowa. Sanders stock was on the rise, and his campaign advisors surely inflated his ego in the process.

Maybe they reinforced the notion that the Democratic primary was a real contest and Sanders’ surge was the result of his stand on issues rather than a spasm of anxiety from the party’s predominantly white, self-described liberal minority. He entered that first debate confident that the force of his crotchety Brooklyn-bred personality would outshine the robotic, overly cautious Clinton. This conceit would prove to be Sanders’ downfall. more