Outside the party, Sanders escaped battered Dem syndrome. Joining it is an intervention.

For years we've watched members of the Democratic Party cower in fear of the beating the Republican Noise Machine will give them if they take a meaningful stand. But however much they appease the monster, the beating still comes. They wrongly believe they'll find no support out here if they try to escape.

The more support Sanders gets (as a Democrat), the more other members will "get" that that there's plenty of support outside the beltway bubble for strong Democratic leaders who stand up for real American values.

It's a good thing he escaped identification with "battered Democrats" and their fearful stance.

And it's a good thing he's decided to join the Party now in such a visible way.

His campaign is proof that people are hungry for a Democrat willing to take a powerful stand and fight for what's right. He is showing a new face of the Party and winning people over from across the political spectrum.

What Sanders is doing constitutes an intervention that could renew the party and help the other members grow spines -- if they are capable of listening.