Keller @ Large: What We've Learned From The Primaries

BOSTON (CBS) - Voters in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio will determine Tuesday whether or not the presidential race will continue throughout the spring.

A clean sweep of those primaries by either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will essentially end the nomination fight.

Read: 'On The Issues' - Where The Candidates Stand

So while we wait, let's consider what we've learned so far from this bitter battle.

On the Democratic side, Clinton has been tested by Bernie Sanders, and for the most part has risen to the challenge. She has dispelled doubts about her energy and whether she was taking her nomination for granted. And she has shown that, at least within the Democratic primary universe, she can overcome her very real flaws.

For the Republicans, the race so far has been a blunt wakeup call to a party establishment that didn't realize how furious a significant portion of its base was over its failure to address legitimate concerns about immigration and the impact of global trade deals. What hasn't been answered yet is whether or not that fury fits in with a plan to win in November, since both the polls and common sense suggest that would be an uphill climb for the current frontrunner.

What else have we learned?

That too many debates are not necessarily a good thing. That non-stop coverage is no substitute for smart coverage. That campaigns really do matter. And that it's a good thing we only have to do this once every four years.