Here's a little tune you've been hearing since the very beginning of primary season.

A lot of the issues you were talking about in 2016 are now mainstream in the Democratic Party.

But do you still think that you are the leader on those ideas or are you concerned that other candidates in this race have taken over that mantle?

You've got candidates now who sound like Bernie Sanders.

So why do you need to run?

A lot of the other candidates are doing Bernie covers now.

So it works out.

It's like, hey, I know that son, that's Bernie's.

In short, in the Democratic race to 2020,

everyone now sounds like Bernie Sanders has been

sounding since circa 1978 or earlier. And often implicit in that take is, well, if

everyone now sounds like Bernie, then Bernie's job is done.

Bravo. Pass a torch. Take a gold watch, pack it up, and call it a day.

But the thing about that argument is that it is complete and total nonsense.

Even if you trust all the candidates for president to follow through on their campaign

promises, what they're promising

differs quite a bit from what Bernie's promising, not to mention how they propose to get

there. For one, Bernie Sanders has a hundred pages of health care legislation that will fully ensure every

American within four years, with no deductibles, no co-pays, and no premiums.

Joe Biden's plan, by contrast, would leave 10 million people uninsured, and Americans

would still be subject to paying up to 8.5% of their annual income on premiums and $1,000 deductibles.

Bernie Sanders has a plan to cancel the medical debt held by 79 million Americans.

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