Clinton, Sanders rivalry in spotlight as Democrats debate

Per NBC’s Kristen Welker, Biden was unable to reach a decision about his presidential plans after spending another weekend with his family, according to a source familiar with Biden’s thinking. He has given no indication that he will do so.

For their darling Democrats, CNN will conduct themselves professionally.

The Sanders campaign did not return a request for comment.

The debate will air on CNN at 8:30 p.m. ET.

This time, however, that assessment wouldn’t reflect her strength, but rather the lack of a strong alternative at this stage. There’s a crucial distinction, however, among Democrats: They see Clinton favorably by 79-17 percent, but Sanders just by 47-24 percent. “She is those things, from what people say who know her well. She gets stiff and stern, and not likable”. Clinton portrayed a bartender named Val in a recent Saturday Night Live sketch. She has an array of ads that alternately tout her policy positions and her ongoing quest to present herself as a warm, jovial, good ol’ gal.

“She’s rolled out Latinos for Hillary, she has rolled out Women for Hillary, she has met with the leadership of Black Lives Matter, she has checked a lot of boxes walking into this debate”, she noted.

One of the first questions directed to her will likely be about her email server.

After Clinton announced her opposition to a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal, a pact she had previously called the “gold standard”, Sanders said he was glad she’d come to that conclusion.

Clinton also knows the risky potential of debates. And don’t miss Politico’s tick-tock on how the Clinton campaign has handled – or mishandled – the email controversy over the past seven months.

Sanders, on the other hand, has defended his moderate record by framing it as an advantage, describing himself as someone who can bridge the divide between people on different sides of the gun debate and culture. The debate, in his campaign’s view, is an “enhanced introduction”. Do you think marijuana will come up as a topic at the debate?

Don’t expect Sanders to go for the jugular against his chief rival, though. When she was attacked she would try to brush it off with laughter frequently. Still, the Biden question mark adds drama, said Grant Woodard, an Iowa political operative and lawyer. “He’s not going to criticize her. And I see no reason Hillary Clinton would do that with any of the candidates”. That’s normal, and that’s fine. “That would be a bad strategy”. He’s been testy with reporters when pressed in the past, and that type of reaction might not play well in front of a national TV audience.

“Making change is not about what you believe”.

Ultimately, O’Malley may have the most to gain and the most to lose during Tuesday’s debate. One account called Draft Joe Biden is run by a PAC aimed at persuading Biden to run for the Democratic nomination.

CNN is facilitating and broadcasting the Tuesday debate, which will take place at the Wynn Las Vegas resort in Nevada.

Yet, although he was elected governor twice by wide-margins, O’Malley is registering 4th in his home-state’s presidential polls at a paltry 4%.

“The one person who has a great opportunity here is Martin O’Malley“, former Mitt Romney adviser Kevin Madden said on CNN Monday. “His is the politics of a lesser evil among a few very bad choices”. Instead, he’s attending meetings at the White House, per his schedule.

He is considered to be the most conservative candidate of the five – even though one had switched over from the Republican party, more on that later – and he is against the nuclear deal with Iran and gun control. Typically we’d get a bit further into the season before candidates start directly insulting each other about their looks. Clinton, while getting in line with progressive Democratic positions on big issues, has also been preparing to strike key contrasts with Sanders.

Also on stage will be former Virginia Sen. If Webb and O’Malley are out for blood, they will draw it. The openings are there, in both foreign and domestic policy. Last Friday he held a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona, and thousands of Latinos joined a boisterous crowd of about 13,000 who gathered at a city park to hear Sanders speak.

Neither has campaigned as much as Clinton, Sanders and O’Malley up to this point, although both are critics of Clinton’s vote for the Iraq War.