For a few beautiful moments last week, it looked like it might be easy.

Riding a wave of working-class support, Bernie Sanders had swept the Nevada caucuses and surged to the lead in national polls. As Democratic pundits and party leaders panicked, anti-Sanders forces were hopelessly divided between at least three unacceptable candidates: a visibly deteriorating former vice president who had been trounced in the first three contests; an upstart small-town mayor with no appeal to nonwhite voters; and a Republican mega-billionaire, whose eerie “campaign” looked less like a run for public office than an attempted corporate buyout.

Sanders appeared ready to annihilate all three on Super Tuesday, claim a massive delegate lead, and hold a commanding position in the race ahead, even if the so-called “moderates” could finally consolidate around one candidate.