海角大神

It鈥檚 finally happened 鈥� the Democratic presidential race is getting personal. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Rodham Clinton this week have both questioned whether the other is fit to occupy the Oval Office.

OK, 鈥減ersonal鈥� is relative here. This hasn鈥檛 reached GOP-level stuff. Demeaning nicknames and physical references aren鈥檛 (yet) involved. So there鈥檚 that to be grateful for.

The cycle started on Wednesday when Mrs. Clinton made disparaging remarks about Senator Sanders鈥檚 knowledge of policy, including his signature issue of Wall Street reform. She said that recent Sanders remarks showed that he didn鈥檛 understand the law regarding big banks, or the way to get things done in Washington.

鈥淲ell, I think he hadn鈥檛 done his homework and he鈥檇 been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn鈥檛 really studied or understood, and that does raise a lot of questions,鈥� Clinton said in an appearance on MSNBC鈥檚 鈥淢orning Joe."

Clinton did not say she felt Sanders was unqualified to be president, strictly speaking. But some headline writers described her words that way, and Sanders took offense.

At a Wednesday night rally in Philadelphia the Vermont senator said that Clinton has been describing him as not qualified and that he had something to say in response.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that she is qualified if she is, through her super PAC, taking tens of millions of dollars in special interest money,鈥� said Sanders.

Warming to the theme, he added that 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you are qualified if you have voted for the disastrous war in Iraq. I don鈥檛 think you are qualified if you鈥檝e supported virtually every disastrous trade agreement which has cost us millions of decent paying jobs.鈥�

Ouch. At least he didn鈥檛 say she was low-energy.

Why is this bubbling up now? After all, Sanders has prided himself on eschewing personal attacks. For the most part, he鈥檚 done that.

The map might be one explanation. The Democratic race travels to New York for its primary on April 19. Then Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania follow on April 26. Clinton鈥檚 the favorite in all those states.

Bernie鈥檚 just off a string of winning seven of the last eight Democratic caucus/primaries. Yet he still trails Clinton by more than 200 pledged delegates, not to mention hundreds more unpledged 鈥渟uperdelegates.鈥� He鈥檚 got to make up even more ground, and soon, if he鈥檚 to have any chance at all.

And he needs blowout wins, not just victories. As we wrote last month, the Democratic primary votes aren鈥檛 winner-take-all. They award delegates proportionately.

So Sanders is facing a situation where he needs to beat Clinton big in states where she鈥檚 currently leading in the polls. How can he do that? Only by in essence blowing things up, according to Washington Post political blogger Chris Cillizza.

鈥淔or Sanders to have any plausible case to be the party鈥檚 nominee, he needs to disrupt the race in a fundamental way,鈥� Mr. Cillizza today.

But if he tries this does he risk ripping the party apart? Could the newly personal sniping split Democrats to the point where President Trump/Cruz becomes a reality?

No, probably not. The personal tension in the Democratic race was much worse in 2008. (Remember when Barack Obama said Clinton was 鈥渓ikable enough?鈥�)

At this point in the 2008 contest, only 59 percent of Clinton supporters said they鈥檇 vote for Mr. Obama in the general election if he won the nomination, according to Gallup numbers. Yet Obama ended up winning of Democrats that November. In the end, parties coalesce.

That general election campaigns reinforce the tendency of Americans to rally to their partisan flags is a tenet of political science. The Democratic race is following usual patterns, so there鈥檚 no reason to think that won鈥檛 hold this time.

The Republicans? That鈥檚 another story. Donald Trump is an anomaly, and may produce anomalous results.