Sanders bets on Biden debate implosion

During an all-staff call Thursday evening, Sanders’ national organizing and field director, Misty Rebik, admitted to the team that it was facing an uphill battle — but it has always been that way, she tried to assure them. Sanders himself has appeared less confident on the campaign trail in the last few weeks, even looking downcast at a round-table with workers in Michigan, which is the type of event where he usually seems most upbeat.

At the same time, Sanders’ staffers truly believe the trajectory of the race could change — that the campaign that somehow found itself in a stronger position after Sanders suffered a heart attack last fall could have another improbable comeback.

They argue that the primary has been volatile, and that Biden himself trailed in the first three primary and caucus states before leapfrogging to frontrunner. They also point out that former presidential candidates such as Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar have surged in polls after strong performance debate performances.

“I don’t know if you’ve seen Joe Biden lately, but he doesn’t like to be told he’s wrong,” said a Sanders adviser. “We’re going to take him on around the issues and make him defend his record. He’s deflected on those in earlier debates because there’s so much chatter happening on the stage. But when you’re one-on-one, you change the dynamic.”

It’s unclear how aggressive Sanders will be with Biden. Some of Sanders’ staffers and supporters have been frustrated by what they see as his light touch with his former Senate colleague, whom Sanders likes and considers a friend. Even with Hillary Clinton, Sanders often lacked a killer instinct, famously telling her in a 2015 debate that “the American people are sick and tired about hearing about your damn emails!”





https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/15/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-debate-129418