WaPo: It's Biden v. Harris Part 2 at next Democratic presidential debate

[Celerity]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/its-biden-v-harris-part-2-at-next-democratic-presidential-debate/2019/07/18/020fe270-a989-11e9-a3a6-ab670962db05_story.html?utm_term=.ad07135cc626

Former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California, who clashed at the first Democratic debate, will face off again in the next two-night debate at the end of July, while the ideologically aligned Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren will appear together the other night.

Who is matched with whom can shift the trajectory of the race, as Harris showed in the first debate when she went after Biden on the issue of busing and race. It created a Harris vs. Biden narrative and helped catapult Harris toward the top of the national polls. The aftershocks of that moment were felt for days later, culminating in Biden giving a major speech defending his civil rights record. A rematch gives Harris another shot to handicap Biden, while Biden gets an opportunity for a do-over after his fumbling performance against Harris last time.

For socialist democrat Sanders and capitalist Warren, who are vying for many of the same far-left voters, their matchup allows them the chance to differentiate. It also denies Sanders a chance to go after Biden, whom he competes with for the populist and working-class vote. In the past week, Sanders has targeted Biden for not embracing Medicare-for-all, providing a preview of how hard he planned to go after Biden if given the opportunity.

Debate host CNN held a live drawing on Thursday night to determine the lineups. The Democrats wanted to avoid having separate first-tier and second-tier debates like Republicans did in 2016, so instead chose to randomly divide the whole field over two nights. It happened anyway in the first debate in June when all the top-polling candidates except for Warren were drawn for the same night.

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[BeyondGeography]

1. These things rarely go as planned

I will be watching for candidates who are on life support to go after the front runners, particularly Booker in that group.

[FloridaBlues]

2. That's what I was thinking too.

I hope this isn't a slug fest for any person

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. Hope not. All need to run/debate against trump!!!

[BeyondGeography]

5. And advocate for themselves

That’s a longer slog than the magical on-stage debate punch but you get a lot more mileage out if it in the end.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. Keep thinking back to what the two liberal guys

on KLBJ radio said. Don't mention policy, especially anything groundbreaking. All you have to do is not be trump. But how do you do that? I always think bragging by a candidate sounds so wrong. I think bringing up specific actions of trump and showing you care more?

[BeyondGeography]

9. Authenticity, empathy, credible agent for change

However you get there is fine, but winners in the GE are generally strong in all three categories. I agree on the policy point; 60 seconds is barely sufficient for a tutorial on how to secure a seatbelt let alone a treatise on health care. Ripping Trump as a centerpiece feels like junk food after a spell (as do attacks on fellow Dems). Everyone is opposed to Trump, what’s so special about you?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. Why I say find some under the radar specific things he's

done. I was reading a book about influencing people. One way is to come across confused by what your opponent is doing. For instance, Trump reversed a regulation that Obama enacted. They found that coal companies were dumping cancer-causing sludge into the rivers. The candidate could act confused without thrashing. " I don't understand why a president would knowingly do something that could hurt people. Maybe he doesn't know what he was signing? But I believe in protecting the waters are children swim in". You know something like that non-confrontational but make a point that everyone would understand.

Same with health care, point out the specific things that Trump did to dismantle a person's right to see a doctor. Play up the emotional part like Democrats used to do to pull at your heartstrings. People like Ted Kennedy Mario Cuomo were experts at it.

[Peacetrain]

4. I would be highly surprised if there was another side hit like the last debate..

Too much in common, too much on the table.. just my opinion

[crazytown]

7. I'd be surprised too about big hits.

After 'send her home', I would expect affirmation of the Democratic Party as the party of Civil Rights, Voting Rights, economic and social justice. I would be stunned if a candidate brought up busing again. Trump has reset the conversation about racism.

[Peacetrain]

8. Yep... would make no sense...

[Princetonian]

10. I predict Harris has been rehearsing for another gratuitous attack on Biden's AA cred.

Harris is nothing if not calculating and she won't want to miss another opportunity to get billions in free media exposure. Harris needs to undermine Biden to win SC or else she is toast for the nomination and she knows it.

[Amishman]

12. She'll definitely have something major planned, but it might not be an attack

I'm thinking going positive and announcing a major policy proposal is also a possibility.

[Princetonian]

15. We need to take bets.

[Amishman]

16. In a way I already am

I have a decent chunk of change bet in Harris on PredictIt. I'm not what she will do, but I am confident she will make a splash. I also have money on Joe as I expect a rebound from him. I'm anticipating Biden and Harris solidifying into 1-2 front runners in the next few months.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. But didn't she just get a brief bump? Surely she

Realizes that when you trash someone any gain is offset by backlash?

[Princetonian]

14. No, she does not realize it.

She doubled down recently.

[Kahuna7]

17. 100%. nt