'Go Easy On Me, Kid,' Biden Tells Harris at Democratic Debate

Democratic front-runner Joe Biden’s campaign says he’s ready for attacks from across the debate stage as 10 more of the party’s presidential contenders line up Wednesday for the second night of debating in Detroit. (Video courtesy of CNN) The 76-year-old former vice president could face incoming from two younger candidates, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, who will be flanking him at the center of the stage. The lower-polling candidates along the wings of the stage -- including senators, a governor, a mayor, a former Obama administration Cabinet secretary and a tech entrepreneur -- may also try to take shots at Biden or one another to give a boost to their struggling campaigns. A Biden campaign aide, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said that in at the first set of debates in June, Biden had expected his opponents -- some of whom he considered friends -- would play by certain rules of engagement. This time, the aide said, the former vice president and senator for more than three decades says he’s now prepared to defend against mis-characterizations of his record or flat-out lies. Another set of 10 Democratic candidates debated Tuesday and split along ideological lines, with the two top-polling hopeful on the stage, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, facing an onslaught from moderates who blasted their promises on Medicare for All and the Green New Deal as unrealistic and questioned whether such a platform can beat President Donald Trump in 2020. That served as a stark display of the central tension in the Democratic nomination race between the party’s progressive faction, which is demanding sweeping change, and the moderate wing, represented chiefly by Biden’s approach of building on the work of the last Democratic administration. The two sides also debated whether hard-left ideas will turn off middle-of-the-road voters or help the party by motivating disaffected people to cast ballots. The assaults on Warren and Sanders by struggling candidates such as John Delaney and Steve Bullock could end up benefiting Biden as they highlight contrasts while letting the former vice president stay above a squabble that risks alienating some constituencies. It also set a bar on the level and intensity of attacks for Biden to meet. The debate format itself -- a 2 1/2 hour marathon in which moderators encouraged ideological arguments on a broad range of issues -- could presage a long night for Biden, said Aaron Kall, director of debate for the University of Michigan. “From a stamina perspective, him staying on message for close to three hours could be difficult,” he said. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm TICTOC ON SOCIAL: Follow TicToc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tictoc Like TicToc on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tictoc Follow TicToc on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tictoc Watch all of TicToc’s videos: https://www.tictoc.video/ Listen to TicToc’s podcast: https://apple.co/2D3Vta7 Subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/2FJ0oQZ TicToc by Bloomberg is global news for the life you lead. We are a 24/7 news network that covers breaking news, politics, technology, business and entertainment stories from around the globe, supported by a network of Bloomberg’s 2,700 journalists across 120 countries.