The Dem race shows signs that it could be naughty

The gloves are starting to detach themselves in the Democratic race at the White House, which, until now, looks more like a tea party than a fight in a bar.

Pete ButtigiegPeter (Pete) Paul ButtigiegColbert links the vast Dem 2020 field to Avengers: "A group of all people available in the universe" The Hill's Morning Report – Trump tells House investigators that "no" Buttigieg attracts a new scrutiny, a criticism MORE said this week that he did not think Sen. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersL & # 39; Election Analyst indicates that Biden may have to face a difficult battle to attract small donors. Gillibrand is not "worried" about being "scammed" in 2020. (I-Vt.) Could rebuild the coalition that advanced its bid for 2016, a line that many saw as a chance to undermine a rival campaign.

These remarks came after the co-chair of the Sanders campaign Ro KhannaRohit (Ro) KhannaThe Morning's Morning Report – Trump tells House Investigators that "no" Buttigieg is attracting a new scrutiny, criticizing Dems accusing the White House of having given in to the ego of Trump after Russia has mingled MORE (D-Calif.) Blamed Buttigieg for comparing Sanders' supporters to those of President Trump, even though Buttigieg had praised Sanders for reaching out to voters opposed to him. establishment that Democrats have been accused of ignoring.

By the way, the Sanders campaign has swept the former vice president Joe BidenJoseph (Joe) Robinette BidenL & Election Analyst says that Biden could face a tough battle attracting small donors. The announcement of Biden was a general election message, states that political analyst Gillibrand "does not care" to be "discounted" in the 2020 race PLUS, who took part in the race on Thursday morning to have raised funds at a "business lobbyist" shortly after the launch of his campaign. Finally, the Justice Democrats group, launched by former Sanders campaigners, issued a senseless statement in which it attacked Biden as a corporate crime and claimed it was the wrong kind of politician to propose.

The new attacks come as the party's investiture race draws around Biden and Sanders, who are clearly in the vanguard at this early stage. Both are now under attack.

This is a big change from the subtleties that have been presented so far by the candidates and that foreshadow a brutal race to come, while the middle and lower candidates are under pressure to overturn the first two. to try to distinguish the pack.

"It's going to be mean," predicted a Democratic strategist.

There is nothing unusual about a bad primary fight and that does not necessarily mean that the party will be defeated in the general election.

Facing a Republican primary as populated in the summer of 2015, the then candidate, Donald Trump, has imposed it.

His frequent insults from his rivals, including energy-hungry Jeb Bush, fed his campaign and turned the former Florida governor into the lead. Trump eventually won the primary and general elections.

The race of Democrats was not at all like this, none of the main candidates having thrown the reapers.

Democrats are worried, however, that if things get worse, it could hurt the party.

"A primary race is good for the party, we see real innovative ideas," said Democratic strategist Andrew Feldman. "But at the end of the day, we have to make sure we do not tear each other to the point where we can not go back and beat Trump."

The mainstream democrats were upset by the Justice Democrats' statement issued a few hours after Biden's announcement.

Alexandra Rojas, former organizer on the ground at Sanders, who now heads the liberal group, called Biden, "the former guard of the Democratic Party," to whom she would be responsible for not stopping President TrumpDonald John TrumpOut the turning point: five revelations of the Mueller report not refuted Lara Trump: Merkel admitting that migrants are one of the worst things that have happened in Germany "Financial satisfaction reaches record levels: survey.

"Joe Biden is almost totally opposed to the energy center of the Democratic Party," said Rojas.

Defenders of Biden claimed that the former vice president had spent his entire career advancing the party on key issues, such as equality in marriage.

"Democrats of justice make me sick," said a Democratic strategist.

A Sanders assistant told The Hill that the campaign salutes Biden's entry into the race and hopes the contest will remain focused on the issues.

"This campaign is not about telling people who to vote for, but about exposing the ideas and policies that people can vote and letting voters decide for themselves," said the assistant.

Some Democrats say Sanders has a responsibility to prevent his online supporters from shooting. They see some of his followers as ruthless attack dogs that will make Sanders fight for him.

"It's up to Bernie to control his substitutes," said Jon Reinish, Democratic strategist. "He did not do it in 2016 and it's at the expense of the party. I am convinced that even if he does not win the nomination, he will act to unify the party. The question is whether its carriers of messages of confidence will do it. "

On the left, the way the Democratic National Committee and Clinton have treated Sanders with bitterness is bitter – and fears the party will do everything possible to defeat the progressives this time around.

This is one of the reasons why Biden's entry into the race marks a turning point – and some believe it will be the prelude to a more negative campaign.

"He is a corporate democrat, end-to-end," said Charles Chamberlain Thursday, chairman of the liberal group Democracy for America, after Biden's entry into the race.

The Liberals also warn Democrats that it would be "counterproductive" to anger the militant base, because that is where the energy in the party lies.

"The two wings of the party know how high the stakes are, but I hope the wing of the establishment will understand how dangerous it would be to attack Bernie Sanders. or any other person who, in their opinion, represents the left of the party, "said Robert Reich, Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson Clinton Democrats play voters on their fantasies of impeachment George Conway supports the Clinton report on Mueller: "If it is with the Constitution, I am with it" Top Dem: The Supreme Court does not … has no role to play in dismissal MOREThe former secretary of labor and a leader of progressive thinking. "It would be really stupid and self-destructive and whoever cares about the future of this country should exert all its influence to prevent this."

But if Sanders leads the race, he will almost certainly be a target.

The candidates begin to oppose Sanders, whose critics warn that he is too far from the general public.

This week, Sanders said violent criminals and national terrorists, including the Boston marathon bomber, should be able to vote from prison. A cascade of Democratic candidates immediately broke with him, saying that convicted criminals should only be allowed to vote when they have finished serving their sentences.

And former representative. John DelaneyJohn Kevin DelaneyDelaney blames Sanders, his 2020 rival, for calling the Israeli government "racist," 2020. Dems scolds Trump against Iran, saying that they would have put the United States back into a nuclear deal. (Md.), A low-ranking candidate who largely funds his campaign, criticized Sanders for labeling the Israeli government as "racist".

Buttigieg, who has experienced a surge of momentum and is the surprise of the race so far, grumbled when he asked if Sanders could reform his 2016 coalition at the time. 39, an interview with the New York Times.

Buttigieg said that there was a "novelty" in the boldness of Sanders' approach in 2016 and that this might be difficult to capture again in 2020.

"I think the difference is that a lot of his interest was also that people be refreshed by the novelty of this daring," he said.

Although he said that Sanders had always been daring, it was new at the national level.

"I have trouble seeing the kind of coalition he needs to unite," he said.

The Buttigieg campaign said their candidate was not saying that Sanders could not defeat Trump with his comments.

The Sanders campaign finds suggestions that it can not win particularly boring.

In a statement to The Hill, Sanders campaign manager Faiz Shakir said Sanders led the campaign by "defending the powerful interests of corporations, attacking the billionaire class, defeating Trump and creating a government that works for everyone. "

"Bernie's unflinching commitment to this fight and his progressive unifying agenda have made him the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump in the general election," said Shakir.

Max Greenwood contributed