This Is The One Thing Hillary Clinton Still Needs To Do For Bernie

Hillary Clinton won the Democratic nomination fair and square.

Even with the revelations from the DNC leak, it's clear this election was not rigged, as some have claimed, and the former secretary of state defeated her top opponent, Bernie Sanders, absent an elaborate plot to undermine him.

America's electoral system, and particularly the primary process, arguably needs major reform. But, in terms of the current structure, Hillary won, and Bernie lost. It's that simple.

With that said, Bernie Sanders still accomplished some remarkable things this election, and the progressive movement he inspired will continue to have a massive impact.

He helped mobilize Millennials, often characterized as a politically apathetic generation, and got them excited about this election.

He helped ensure these young people, who happen to make up the largest and most diverse generation in US history, will continue to show concern for the future of this country. Not to mention, he brought many of them into the Democratic party.

For all of these reasons and more, Hillary Clinton should go out of her way to thank Bernie Sanders during her speech on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention, when she formally accepts the Democratic nomination for president.

In doing so, Clinton might consider acknowledging the ways in which Bernie's platform, and the momentum surrounding his campaign, helped influence her own stances and the Democratic party's platform more generally.

Clinton has a lot to gain from doing this, as it would help validate those who have worked hard to support the Vermont senator throughout this election cycle; she will need them to defeat Donald Trump in November.

At the moment, Trump and Clinton are neck and neck in the polls.

A lot could happen between now and the general election, but Hillary Clinton really needs to work to unite the party. Continuing to praise Bernie, while outlining the ways she will fight for the progressive values he espoused on the campaign trail, could definitely help in this regard.

Millennials could make or break this election. They are now, more or less, tied with Baby Boomers in terms of making up the largest share of the electorate.

Bernie Sanders gained more youth votes than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton combined.

Clinton's politics and worldview are clearly far closer to Sanders than Trump.

She is the best alternative to Sanders, by a long shot.

But people are angry right now, and many young people are disillusioned with America's political system. Some seem convinced either sitting out or voting for Trump is a better alternative.

This couldn't be further from the truth, but this is the reality we're facing.

Clinton needs to let them know the work and emotions they invested in this election matter, and she will fight to ensure their efforts weren't all for nothing.

She needs to make it clear with her, Bernie's values will still have a voice, but with Trump those values will fade away.

The former secretary of state can accomplish this, in part, by exhibiting her gratitude for Sanders contribution to this election and the Democratic party.

Thanking Sanders has to be about more than his endorsement of her, it has to be a message of hope and a reminder to his supporters their candidate may have lost the election, but in many ways won the bigger victory: He started a revolution that's far from over.

Check out a discussion between Elite Daily's John Haltiwanger and The Young Turks' John Iadarola on this exact topic and the Democratic National Convention above.