Connecticut’s presidential primary is over. Donald Trump won in a landslide. Hillary Clinton won by single digits.

The truth is Clinton is a flawed candidate with many vulnerabilities. It is no secret that this Democratic presidential nomination was wired for Clinton. Although there are many successful and competent elected women and minorities in the Democratic Party, who could have run for president, they were told to heel.

The message was heard and obeyed. Except by a 74-year-old socialist independent senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders.

Clinton has won her party’s nomination, for all intents and purposes. She needs to act like it. More than that, she needs Bernie and all of Bernie’s supporters.

Any comparison to how Clinton acted after her 2008 loss to then Senator Obama is false. Clinton made decisions with an eye on running again.

Sanders is not running again. The issues he has championed in this campaign he has pushed for 50 years. After the recent primary results, Clinton gave a speech, which was a poor attempt to reach out to Sanders supporters. Her speech simply checked a box. It lacked any self-reflection or genuine thought, a core problem for her candidacy. Her words were poll tested, micro-targeted, staff approved drivel.

Not going to work in this cycle.

This is the speech she needs to make:

“I want to thank you all for coming today. With the results of the recent primaries it appears our campaign is on a solid track to gain the necessary delegates to win the nomination. There are still primaries ahead and we are going to work hard to win each contest and as many delegates as possible.

This has been and continues to be a very challenging campaign. The reason for that, in one word, is ‘Bernie.’ Senator Sanders has run and continues to run a great campaign. He has brought in hundreds of thousands of new voters and more importantly new Democrats. Senator Sanders has also pushed me to take a fresh look at who I am and what I expect of myself as a possible president of this great country.

Senator Sanders, for almost 50 years, has carried the banner for those who are not on Wall Street or even Main Street. Bernie has carried the banner for the disenfranchised and forgotten. In short, Senator Sanders represents the very heart and soul of what makes the Democratic Party the party of working families. I have learned much from Senator Sanders.

Here is what I have learned.

We need to completely reform how we run campaigns from the financing to the structure of how we cast votes. The senator and his supporters should know that I look forward to working with him on how to make our elections more about people and ideas than dollars and cents.

Additionally, the senator has opened my eyes to the idea of, yes, thinking big. The fact that America remains the only major industrialized country without a guaranteed health care system is unacceptable. The senator from Vermont is right and his involvement to develop a plank in our convention platform to expand the Affordable Care Act will be welcomed.

Other issues from trade, a national raising of the minimum wage and reforming our criminal justice system have been touchstones of the Sanders campaign. Bringing these issues to the fore by Senator Sanders and others will not just be his legacy but also a legacy for the rebirth the Democratic Party.

Donald Trump appears to be the Republican nominee. Whether it is Mr. Trump or any other Republican, we will need all Democrats pulling together. Most of all we will need Senator Sanders and his supporters. With that support the Republicans will feel the Bern!

Thank you and God Bless America!"

Ben Davol, an unaffiliated voter, has served as a political consultant to a variety of political campaigns for both parties. He lives in Stonington.