Since there's no basketball probably, I've also never seen him on the debate stage so there's that too.
Expect Bloomberg to be the punching bag tonight. His rapid surge in polls all the way up to 15% this week, should put a lot of pressure on the moderates running 2 through 5 to attack him and bring his numbers back down into the single digits. This should be an all out assault on Bloomberg from Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar. They have the most to lose to Bloomberg. Also, Bernie would like nothing more than to make this a 2-man race between Bloomberg and himself where Bernie's populism can effectively attack Bloomberg's bid to buy a nomination. So, expect Bernie to dodge direct confrontation with Bloomberg at this stage and let the others fight it out. Sanders should stay on point and stick to his message. He's leading Nevada right now and has got nothing to gain from going after Bloomberg so early.
Bloomberg is a match made in heaven for Bernie (message wise), and Bernie is a match made in heaven (message wise) for Trump and even what remains of the GOP (which is really now just the party of Trump, ... or, the TP). If Bloomberg doesn't wilt in the heat, this could make him a bonafide contender. Should be the first truly interesting debate!
And Trump is a match made in heaven (message wise) for Bernie. It's populist vs. populist... except Bernie doesn't have a criminal presidency to defend. Trump only knows how to argue pathos -- emotional appeal through his inflammatory rhetoric mostly based on lies, attacks, and projections. Meanwhile, Bernie can make all three -- ethos, pathos, and logos -- based arguments whenever needed because he has spent 40 years in public office championing arguments in favor of poor and working class Americans. The only way Bernie would struggle, is if Trump had the ability to methodically breakdown Bernie's policies and go into the details of costs, benefits, analysis, etc. However, Trump lacks the brains and tolerance to make nuanced arguments so he will stick to "evil socialism" attacks, which for most of the country isn't a terrible idea anymore. I wouldn't be surprised when Bernie cuts into Trump's base with his crossover appeal and policies helping poor Trump supporters.
Bloomberg is a smart guy. No one, especially trump, should discount him at this point. This debate should be fun.
You're more optimistic than I am, but I would definitely vote for Bernie if he's the nominee. I worry we get nonstop "crazy Bernie" out of Trump from July to November -- talking about a risk to the economy and "all your retirement accounts" -- and it sticks and we lose enough suburban vote to basically repeat 2016, or worse. Outside of the cities (like where I live), I don't see Bernie having a big positive down-ballot effect where we need it in the legislature, but I'm always happy to be wrong when I'm pessimistic.
I actually think Warren is going to be the biggest attack dog against Bloomberg. I expect her to come out swinging. I posted this in another thread: she’s quietly sitting at third place in Nevada. If she has a viral moment and lands some punches, it might springboard her into a strong finish. Which she desperately, desperately needs.
I'm with you B-bob. Even as an ardent Bernie supporter it is going to take something special to beat Trump. Anybody who looks closely at the electoral map knows that Florida is basically lost if Bernie is the nominee due to the socialist averse population (to be fair it may be lost anyways to any candidate due to changing demographics). Ohio was not even close in 2016 so I'm not even sure Dems will campaign there. That means that Sanders will have to pull out Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania while defending all the other states that Clinton won in 2016. That gets you to 279 electoral votes with no margin for error. Hopefully other swing states emerge (perhaps Texas based on the recent polling, but I think that's a fantasy) as we get some more polling. The thing that gives me comfort is the massive volunteer base, organization, donor base, and near unilateral online support that Bernie enjoys. Fundamentally, all those things are very important to campaigns. Seeing how much the campaign can increase youth and minority turnout in the primaries and beyond (especially Latinos) will also be important to watch.
I'll be curious to see Bloomberg's tone. Does he attack? Does he stay dirty? Does he even sound like he has a grasp? These debates are so much different than ads. I'm also curious to see how Pete does. He's growing on me, to be honest. I know he's a bit of a phony, but he won't enact radical policy, and seems very diplomatic and charismatic, which is something this country is dying for. A young, gay man could be what unites the country, somehow. I think, moreso than anyone else. I've heard Klobuchar repeat the same talking points on the Sunday circuits and then yesterday. Curious if she's got new material.
I thought the same thing about Pete .... phony. But the more I watch , its just apparent the guy is well prepared and in general he means what he says .... not really a phony , just comes off that way. He'd be my second choice behind Klobuchar
