I hope Bernie is ready for this debate

There's a few really important things to note -

1) This debate will be watched by more people than any previous ones. Good time slot, no sports or holiday interference and just before the votes start rolling. This is important because....

2) People will be watching for signs of how the candidates interactions have changed. Previous debates have seen Hillary aloof and direct, no attacks, intentionally avoiding mentioning Bernie's presence on the stage. If she wants to throw down the attack gauntlet, Bernie will then soak up more stage time in response. This is awesome because...

3) Previous debates have been about 20% Sanders 40% Hillary and 40% everyone else. We know Sanders doesn't like to "Trump" (steal speaking time) everyone else. So if he's given more response time, then he's got more time to shine. Also...

4) There's a solid chance that O'Malley will not be able to attend. The DNC has set out a rule that you must have >5% in the polls to come to this debate, which may dick him, since he's still at 3-4%. Without O'Malley, the debate becomes a straight-up slugfest, the political version of "The Fight of The Century" (Ali v Frazier) - this matters because...

5) Previous debates have seen O'Malley act as the negative attack proxy for Sanders. He went after Clinton constantly. Sanders has been able to consistently stay on message and deflect any incoming attacks. This tactic will not change this time either. However, since we can assume that (2) will hold true, he can remain on message and deflect Hillary's attacks, while soaking up most of the screen time and showing himself as the more reliable and strong candidate. The barrage of expected attacks will serve as a trial-by-fire much like the Benghazi Hearings for Clinton.

Expected outcome - O'Malley is not invited and explodes at the unfairness of the DNC. Hillary looks uncharacteristically sloppy and aggressive, losing a great deal of momentum. Bernie comes out looking like the golden boy, having won a at a highly significant occasion. On the Back of his performance, Bernie goes on to win Iowa, NH, and Nevada, splitting SC, and is poised to fight his way to the nomination.

/r/SandersForPresident Thread