At a dinner with a dozen Democratic House members recently, I was struck by how worried some were that a Sanders nomination would cost them any chance of a Democratic Senate and might even hand the House itself back to Republicans.

I’m closer to some of Sanders’ positions than to Biden’s, and I particularly admire Sanders’ leadership and authenticity on human rights issues like Yemen. But I don’t think Sanders would be able to accomplish his aims as president any more than he has been able to as a senator (he was a primary sponsor of only seven bills that became law, and they are mostly insignificant items, such as naming post offices or designating “Vermont Bicentennial Day”).

What the Democrats need to stage a revolution, or even a healthy evolution, is to win not only the presidency but also the House and the Senate. Democrats flipped the House in 2018 with moderate candidates running on a practical, limited agenda, while progressives running in swing districts did poorly, and that’s a lesson for 2020.