Washington • This week’s two-day Democratic debate-fest is so sprawling that it looks more like a New England town meeting than a confrontation among presidential candidates. But don’t count on its being neighborly.
First, advice to everyone: Figure out who you are. This makes it easier to answer surprise questions and explains why both Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg have had such a good start. They don’t have to calculate on the fly. This helped Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016, but it’s harder for him this year. He’s one choice among many, not the alternative to Hillary Clinton.