This is a good question.
I think that Bernie got very lucky in the last debate because Bloomberg showed up and was the #1 target. And then got so viciously destroyed by Warren that it was the talk of the night. And Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar decided to yell at each other instead of concentrating on the front runner. The dynamics will be totally different today.
The problem is that aside from Warren, who is clearly prepared to perform ritual sacrifices and even pull a Chris Christie on stage, none of the others have shown themselves capable of sharp brutality. Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar irrelevantly fight with each other. Joe Biden has to largely stay quiet in order not to say anything stupid, Bloomberg I think is willing to attack but was zombified last time and so who's left to really deliver the jabs Bernie's way?
This is a great take.
If Biden and the balls and skill to pull it off (not holding my breath) he would pull the Warren/NDA on Sanders.
When the inevitable Castro question comes up, say to Bernie directly.
You've praised Ortega and called him a very impressive guy, you just three days ago excused Castro's brutality because he had a great literacy program, you've criticized American policy while you visited the Soviet Union, and you even said that US policy in Vietnam was - and I quote "almost as bad as what Hitler did".
But I think what is the most revealing was your praise of Cuba after visiting there. While Cuba was holding political prisoners and committing atrocities, you said, and I again quote - "the Cuban revolution is a very profound and very deep revolution. They are in fact creating a very different value system than the one we are familiar with."
That statement troubles me the most. Can you tell the American voters tonight, that you now condemn these despots, and violent regimes, or do you have more excuses and praise to give?
That is how someone finally takes on Bernie directly with what will be thrown at him in the general.
If not Biden, the one who would dare ask such a thing, would be the story of the week. And I don't see how that wouldn't hit Sanders support.
How it all plays out in the end? Not sure. If it meant Biden beats Sanders in SC by 12 instead of 2. It could get interesting. You could see a shift in the super tuesday states. If Bernie somehow pulls off a skillful answer, then maybe it ends up a wash. And he continues his trajectory. Either way, those things are going to hit Bernie at some point.