I expect tomorrow night's debate to focus on how Sanders will pay for his promises

[highplainsdem]

and get those promised policies through Congress.

And I expect both the moderators and his rival candidates to go after him on this.

Warren -- if she wants to have any chance of leading the left wing of the party, taking that perceived role away from Sanders -- needs to go after Sanders on this as well.

[tiredtoo]

1. I'm thinking they may go after Mayor Pete

He appears to have won Iowa.

[highplainsdem]

2. Pete won by 1/10 of 1% on delegates. It's effectively a tie, and Sanders is more of a threat

to the other candidates because Buttigieg isn't polling all that well in Nevada and SC.

Buttigieg in particular will be going after Sanders.

But I expect to see moderator questions about the costs of Sanders' promises and how little chance he has of delivering on them.

Warren got more questions about this sort of thing earlier simply because she was doing better than Sanders.

Now it's Sanders' turn in the barrel.

[FreeState]

5. What I really like about Pete

Is he is very similar to Obama in how he handles people. I believe he has the right strategy and outlook to bring people together - even when attacked.

https://peteforamerica.com/rules-of-the-road/

RESPECT
In our thoughts, words, and actions we cultivate a sense of respect. ​We respect one another on this team, we respect the office of the Presidency, and we respect every individual we encounter on the campaign trail, including our competitors. ​The better we hold up this value among ourselves, the better it will reflect outside. It will represent a quiet antidote to the idea that this project is too audacious to be taken seriously.

BELONGING
We seek to serve and unify a diverse nation. Let us build a campaign team and a coalition of supporters that kindly embraces and reflects the increasingly diverse party and country to which we belong. We will honor this value not just in our makeup but in our practices, as we proactively work to include people of different backgrounds and viewpoints in every major decision, and cultivate a sense of welcome to all.

TRUTH
Honesty is in our nature, and it is one of our greatest means of restoring faith in our democracy among everyday Americans and building a national movement rooted in trust and faith in our country and our beliefs. Internally and externally, our effort will be characterized by fidelity to the truth.

TEAMWORK
We are all working in service of our country and to elect a President who will represent our values and make American lives better. In moments of disagreement, the temptations of pride and ego will arise. Rooted in our mission, let our common purpose be a touchstone as we foster a climate of trust and mutual respect....

BOLDNESS

RESPONSIBILITY

SUBSTANCE

EXCELLENCE

JOY

[UniteFightBack]

13. Yes he is wonderful and I love his put downs. But black folks ain't feeling him and I don't see him

getting an injection of soul anytime soon.

[FreeState]

21. I'm not buying that

Pete got more people of color voting for him than Biden in Iowa (Pete came in second after Bernie and Joe was 3rd). The more people know him the more they like him. Biden has a lot of POC support because they know him and like him.

[UniteFightBack]

25. I don't want to hear about the 5 black people in Iowa ...we need to see what happens in a

state with some actual population.

[FreeState]

28. Wow

https://www.iowadatacenter.org/Publications/aaprofile2019.pdf

There are way more than 5.

[UniteFightBack]

29. I see that went right over your head. nt

[FreeState]

31. Apparently

I agree with the poster below.

[UniteFightBack]

33. Except you didn't get the point at all. So your lagging behind a bit. nt

[squirecam]

30. While I understand the point you were trying to make

You made it very poorly.

I’d delete that post.

The Biden supporters are starting to get the rep of the Sanders supporters. That isn’t good. Biden had a poor showing and you all are lashing out. It’s not helpful.

[UniteFightBack]

32. Thanks for at least 'getting it' but I didn't say anything wrong. Point made...in your opinion

poorly, but made none the less.

[UniteFightBack]

35. Excuse me ...I'll vote for anyone who I think can win. I'm not married to Biden....I'll switch in a

minute. Please explain how I "lashed out" ...by saying Pete does not have black folks support? That's the truth - so far. If you read my first post I started out saying I love Pete.

You got the wrong one with this nonsense.

[redstateblues]

89. I like Pete. Pete is in low single digits with POC in SC

[HarlanPepper]

3. That may take a while.

[relayerbob]

4. Seems likely

[DanTex]

6. Maybe, but I doubt it would hurt Bernie's support.

Warren already tried attacking Bernie, about their private conversation. What happened? She went down in the polls and he went up.

Bernie's supporters like his vision, and they already know all the attacks against him. The socialism stuff, the unicorns stuff, the Bernie Bro stuff, it's all been said over and over.

People aren't dumb, they know the policies Bernie describes work in many countries all over the world. Is Denmark Venezuela? No. Is Canada bankrupt from single payer? No. The reason we don't have them in the US isn't lack of spreadsheets, it's lack of political will.

[blm]

15. She didn't attack Bernie - she was defending herself from the rhetoric

his volunteers were instructed to use to diminish her candidacy when canvassing for Bernie. Or did you just forget that happened first?

[DanTex]

19. Well, that was a very odd line of "defense" which obviously backfired.

[blm]

22. Because his supporters can't see him as ever having misstepped

So Warren had to be deemed a lying bitch and drawn and quartered. Because no way did Bernie misstep.

Yeah...I was delivered that message repeatedly by the hashtag crowd.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

17. Denmark is not a socialist country, no matter how many times Sanders claims otherwise.

It simply isn't so.

In contrast Venezuela is a democratic socialist country and one of those praised on Sanders website (along with Morale's Bolivia) as models for the New American Dream.

[DanTex]

23. Bernie isn't proposing literal "socialism", the policies he talks about are

technically "Social Democracy". Free college, single payer, and so on.

That's the challenge for people trying to attack him. His actual policies are not only popular, but they are also effectively implemented all over the world. It's hard to make a case against them, which is why people resort to the Venezuela nonsense.

And people who support Bernie already know this, so it doesn't hurt his level of support. You can try if you want. Go find a bunch of Bernie supporters and say Venezuela really loudly over and over again and see what happens.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

42. Why has he embraced the Democratic Socialist dictators Maduro and Morales?

Why does his website post claims these states are role models for the New American Dream?

If what he's proposing is "Social Democracy" why doesn't he say so? He doesn't.

Instead he advocates for Democratic Socialism, which is a very far cry from Social Democracy.

Social Democracies are built on an embrace of capitalism. They are not socialist states.

Sanders himself differentiated himself from Elizabeth Warren by saying she's a "capitalist to her bones" (a description she embraces herself) while he is not.

Sanders is a veteran of the Socialist Workers Party.

If these things make Sanders popular with his followers...

[DanTex]

48. Again, have fun with all that. It's not going to hurt him. Really not.

Sure, technically he should be calling himself a "Social Democrat" instead of a "Democratic Socialist" but this is something nobody cares about, particularly since there are a million different meanings people attribute to the word "socialism". Some people think Social Security is "socialism."

Sanders is popular because he is pushing for a more equitable and just society. That's the reason. He's not going to lose support because you or anyone else tries to accuse him of wanting to be a dictator. And you can insult his supporters too, if you want, but that's not going to hurt his support either.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

64. Calling Social Security "socialism" is a right-wing talking point. It just ain't so.

Socialism is the collective ownership of the means of production and distribution.

If you think Sanders embrace of socialism doesn't matter to anyone, you are kidding yourself.

Which socialist state is "equitable and just?"

Because there are no positive examples, Sanders points to Social Democracies that are not socialist states, but which--in fact--have advanced capitalist economies.

[DanTex]

70. Right. So is "Venezuela", it's Megan McCain's favorite.

That's the whole problem with your and Megan McCain's Venezuela attack. You can talk about the means of production all you want, but Bernie's talking about free college and single payer.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

72. Don't you dare try to lump me in with Megan McCain.

Sanders is the person who praised Venezuela on his website as a model for the New American Dream, not me.

Socialism is the collective ownership of the means of production and distribution. That's basic political science.

Socialism is not Denmark or Social Security, or a society having roads and libraries.

Come on, man.

[DanTex]

74. You're making the Megan McCain argument. There's a reason it doesn't work.

You're arguing about the definition of the word "socialism", while Bernie is proposing policies that will help millions of Americans, and that are popular with voters.

Single payer, free college. You're the one talking about the means of production, not Bernie. Not just you, but Bernie's critics in general. And that's why, when he gets attacked like that, his numbers go up, not down.

Like I said, try it. Go talk to Bernie voters about Venezuela and the means of production, and see how well it goes.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

77. Well bless your heart, "Dan."

I'm beginning to suspect whose arguments you are making.

Have a nice life.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

81. So true... it just makes Bernie STRONGER!!!!!!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join The Revolution!!

[TwilightZone]

45. Democratic socialism and social democracy aren't the same thing.

[DanTex]

51. Sure, but nobody cares about the terminology.

Technically, he should call himself a Social Democrat instead, because that's the policy agenda he's for, but if anyone thinks this is the "gotcha" that's going to get his supporters fleeing, they are deluding themselves.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

68. You are kidding yourself.

Democrats care very much about the differences between living in liberal state with a capitalist economy that has generous social programs vs living in a socialist state.

[DanTex]

76. No, I'm really not. People really don't care about the dictionary definition of "socialism".

They really don't care about whether Bernie is technically a Social Democrat or a Democratic Socialist. The terminology is only important to you.

Bernie proposes policies that will help millions of people and are widely popular. That's why he has so much support. The fact that you're not even trying to attack his policies, you're just arguing about the definition of "socialism" proves the point.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

78. Not a "dictionary definition, " but the correct and accurate

political science meaning of the term.

If you think that liberal Democrats will embrace Democratic Socialism in mass, you are kidding yourself.

[DanTex]

79. Again, avoiding policies and arguing terminology, proving my point.

This isn't a political science seminar, voters don't care about the "correct and accurate political science" difference between Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy.

They care about policies that will improve their lives. Bernie offers them. It's not that complicated.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

83. So true Dan... they're just proving your point!! Touche!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join The Revolution!!

[LanternWaste]

97. Tell us the fairy-tale about the BeRNie suRgE!!! again. Pwetty pwease?

Proving one's point, indeed.

[redstateblues]

92. The Socialist moniker is a GE loser that will give us 4 more.

[redstateblues]

95. Socialism brings to mind Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

How well did that work? It’s a very toxic word especially paired with Bernie’s promise to raise taxes

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

82. THIS +1,000!!!!

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join The Revolution!!

[redstateblues]

90. He doesn't say he is Social Democrat. He calls himself a Democratic Socialist

That is a GE loser.

[ahoysrcsm]

96. Instead of Free College,

Can I get a payout at the same rate as those that receive the Free College? I would like to start a small business with the money.

[squirecam]

8. Warren is unlikely to attack Bernie directly

She’s going to let Biden do it. It’s obvious that Biden needs a strong debate performance tomorrow.

[Blue_true]

16. Yes, Biden can't just stand there and let others take the debate to him.

Win or lose, he needs to call out Sanders in particular.

[highplainsdem]

52. I don't expect him to. But I do think it would help Warren at this point to distinguish herself

from Sanders.

[former9thward]

9. How will Warren pay for her promises?

[Blue_true]

18. She laid that out two plus months ago.

Go to her site, she has a dollar amount, how to pay for it and an implementation plan. She is very unlike Sanders, who is making lots of promises, but is not putting details behind them.

[krissey]

10. I want to hear him discuss the kind of person for VP. I want to know if it will be a Democrat.

[squirecam]

11. What if it's Tulsi?

Nt

[blm]

12. Horseshyt. Biden and Pete had no problem attacking Warren for 3mths straight,

as they laid off Sanders during that time after his heart attack.

If Joe and Pete can attack a female candidate for 3 months straight, surely they can muster the strength to take on Sanders themselves.

You have no credible right to demand any type of performance from Warren You all dragged her into the mud when she had no desire to be part of it. She cared about crafting policy not crafting political attacks on other Democrats.

[squirecam]

14. Biden has no choice

He needs a strong performance. He will do it himself.

[krissey]

20. Biden supporters are doing it tonight, pitting women against women with Warren campaign

in Nv. It amazes me Sanders gets away with harassment and inequality in his campaign, Joe just being Joe and they are all over Nv. Warren put out an excellent statement. The women say they still support Warren. Warren has the question in her town hall and gave a great, heartfelt answer. And these guys? Nothing. Just pitting one group of women against another and we allow it.

[squirecam]

26. There is no evidence that the NV women

Came out due to Biden. They came out to change the behavior.

[krissey]

46. But they sure are using it to go after Warren. Not a single one has put up Warren statement.

Or the women saying they get it, they still support Warren, they will continue to campaign for her and vote for her.

[emmaverybo]

34. Glad they still support her. I think Warren will take any responsibility for their leaving because

she’s stand up. Male candidates are not pitting women against women. If one of them exploits the situation, that’s different. Maybe I missed something.

[krissey]

49. Of course Warren takes responsibility. Now that she has heard, already has a statement out.

She has put the time into this issue over and over and over again. And does it willingly, and with effort to be forefront in this effort. Warren immediately took responsibility and addressed the issue perfectly.

I am seeing no other man, candidate, having to defend their position with WOC like a fellow woman. And, she is on board with doing it making herself a better person, to be a better president for all. She had a question at her town hall, and gave a heartfelt answer addressing this very thing.

[emmaverybo]

86. I am arguing only that no male candidate did the pitting alleged here.

[UniteFightBack]

38. I don't understand how Elizabeth Warren can be blamed for that Nevada thing. It's ridiculous. nt

[krissey]

53. Because the Biden people I see egging this fight on have spent the last couple months

creating division between women of color and white women. While Joe is just being Joe. As a woman, it is old and tiring and enough.

They started with Harris, who got on well with Warren, blaming Warren for all of Harris woes, while supporters created a lot of Harris's issues when she dared to challenge Biden segregation issue a couple months ago.

It is just wrong.

[UniteFightBack]

56. And where is all this egging on going on? In real life or online? This is the first I'm hearing of

this trying to create division between black and white women. I guess I missed it.

[krissey]

61. A couple sites on line. And I really need to mellow out. Lol

Just Warren has been addressing this issue and has put in a lot of time, and to see her pounced on is wrong. I totally respect the women that spoke up in Nevada. But more, I respect the fact that they later came out to say, they still support her and will work campaigning for her. I would like to accumulate a number of conversations. Warren in townhall today, her statement about the situation and the women in Nevada.

It is all very interesting and good as a whole and a conversation to be held.

[highplainsdem]

24. Well, at least you left accusations of "evil" and "hatred" out of this post.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287446379#post6

But you're off the mark again in blaming Biden and Buttigieg for Warren slipping in the polls.

You're also off the mark in suggesting

1) that I was "demanding" anything of Warren (suggest you try reading more carefully), and

2) that I have "no credible right" to comment on what Warren should do tomorrow night.

You're not the only person with rights here, blm, though it sometimes seems you think that's the case, given the ridiculous rhetoic you use attacking Biden supporters.

I'm not "demanding" anything of Warren.

I'm pointing out what she needs to do if she hopes to start rising in the polls.

Sanders' surrogates and supporters have been going after her for months.

It would help her to distinguish herself from Sanders and make it clear her plans are more workable.

[blm]

40. No, you want her to take the heat so Joe doesn't. And, based on the months of

Biden camp attacks on her for 3 months straight while laying off Sanders, I think you must be smoking some evil weed to make such a transparent demand of Warren now.

I HATE when shortsighted political cynicism leads to the manipulation of fellow party members.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

44. You are inventing "attacks" that never happened.

Good grief.

[blm]

50. They did. Google Biden attacks Warren and see there are 3mths

of headlines.

Every time they were posted here by his more gleeful supporters I fought back as they defended him.

Now you want to come here and say the attacks never happened. Kinda gaslightish, isn’t it?

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

58. Totally like gaslighting.

I remember Biden being told he was running in the wrong party.

[blm]

62. She said the wrong primary. And WHAT was that in response to?

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

71. A legitimate policy difference over the cost of MFA.

Having difference in policy are NOT personal attacks.

Nice try anyway.

[blm]

73. Dishonest is not personal? Conning folks like Trump is not personal?

He attacked her credibility, her character, and her demeanor. And he knew he was being dishonest about these attacks because she is the person HE wanted to run with in 2016 when he wanted to run.

'Elitist': Biden steps up attacks on Warren
The former VP is looking to stoke resentment among working class voters by casting Warren as a snooty Harvard professor.

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/06/joe-biden-calls-warren-elitist-066637

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/us/politics/joe-biden-elizabeth-warren.html

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/07/politics/joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-2020/index.html

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

75. He did no such thing. He questioned the wisdom of her support of the MFA...

as did the American people.

Her support among Democrats plunged due to her blunder of backing Bernie's plan.

It was a disastrous self-inflicted error. Her fault alone.

[blm]

80. Gee. Why did Joe and Pete focus fire on her INSTEAD of Sanders if

it was only about Med 4 All policy difference?

You can’t admit that the camps made a cynical political move to focus attacks on Warren and her integrity to bring her numbers down as they laid off Sanders because they thought he wouldn’t recover enough to endure a full campaign.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

84. Because she unwisely put out the numbers of what MFA would cost...

while Sanders played rope-a-dope.

That was her mistake. Had Warren in that debate said that her long term goal was single payer, but recognized there are many paths to that goal (including a public option), she'd likely be leading the field at this moment.

Up until the blunder, she'd run a nearly perfect campaign. Not Joe's fault or Pete's fault that she screwed up.

I wish she was running stronger. I'd happily vote for her. She blew it.

[blm]

87. Check the dates on the articles. They attacked BEFORE she

put out the numbers. And after the camp’s quoted Conservative analysis instead of guys like Krugman who said her plan and numbers passed the test.

Revisionism doesn’t work with me.

Try reading and noting the timeline. Their attacks on her credibility mattered. And both of them knew they were being dishonest in their attacks on her but were too selfish to restrain themselves.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

88. No "attacks." Pure inventions on your part.

Questioning the costs of policies are not "attacks."

I see you repeat his again and again, but it doesn't change the facts.

Elizabeth Warren shot herself in the foot by embracing Bernie's plan. That was a huge blunder.

I wish she'd positioned herself differently. She had a record of supporting "many paths" and had she taken that tack she'd be fighting for a top spot. I wish that had happened.

Her mistake.

[blm]

91. Yeah. I wrote every headline and report. You got me.

Now I am exposed for using aliases to write my invented attack story for Politico, CNN, NYT, WaPo, and a few other news organizations. I’ll recall all their names when I gather paystubs for my taxes.


Here’s another - I used 2 aliases here to plant an invented story.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/06/politics/joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-elitist/index.html

(CNN)Joe Biden said Elizabeth Warren has an "elitist attitude" in a radio interview. He wrote on Medium that the Massachusetts senator is "condescending." He told donors her 2020 Democratic campaign is based on a "my-way-or-the-highway attitude."

And he told reporters on Wednesday that Warren was the one who started it.
The former vice president has sharply escalated his attacks on Warren in recent days, shifting from dismissing Warren's policy ideas as unrealistic to a more personal attack on the former Harvard professor. Three months from the Iowa caucuses, Biden's new approach reflects a new phase in the 2020 primary, with Democratic candidates sharpening their criticism of their foes and drawing more distinctions.

The campaign is reframing its critiques of Warren, a source close to Biden's campaign told CNN. It is no longer that "she is a liar," the source said.
"It's 'Warren is a smarty britches who thinks if you don't agree with her, you're an idiot,'" the source said in describing Biden's new approach.
.......

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

93. Oh wow! Really scathing "attacks."

Seriously?

Warren's collapse was of her own making. I wish she'd avoided her blunder.

[highplainsdem]

47. What nonsense. I said I expect both the moderators and rival candidates to go after Sanders.

And you're exaggerating, again, just how much the Biden camp went after Warren.

She was already being pressured by the media to explain how she'd fund MFA by last summer. Her supporters thought she could get away with dodging the question, but she finally had to lay out a detailed plan.

As for why she was getting more questions than Sanders from the media and her rivals last fall, I suggest you look at RCP's polling averages, the graph on this page:

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2020/president/us/2020_democratic_presidential_nomination-6730.html

[blm]

57. Play it any way you need to pretend Biden camp acted benignly.

What I witnessed was dishonest attacks on Warren’s character and integrity and for the sole purpose of tearing her down to glorify themselves.

[highplainsdem]

60. I'm not the one misinterpreting things here, blm. But why don't you post an OP to vent some of

the bitterness you obviously feel about the Biden campaign? Maybe that would help you feel better.

[blm]

65. I post straight up all the time. I predicted months ago

while it was happening that Sanders would benefit from the cynical targeting of Warren by Joe and Pete camps.

And I am being proven right.

And I wish I was being proven wrong.

Fini

[highplainsdem]

67. Sigh. So I guess the media questioning Warren earlier were part of the Biden and Buttigieg camps.

Okay...

[blm]

94. No campaign effort to smear Warren?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/06/politics/joe-biden-elizabeth-warren-elitist/index.html

(CNN)Joe Biden said Elizabeth Warren has an "elitist attitude" in a radio interview. He wrote on Medium that the Massachusetts senator is "condescending." He told donors her 2020 Democratic campaign is based on a "my-way-or-the-highway attitude."

And he told reporters on Wednesday that Warren was the one who started it.

The former vice president has sharply escalated his attacks on Warren in recent days, shifting from dismissing Warren's policy ideas as unrealistic to a more personal attack on the former Harvard professor. Three months from the Iowa caucuses, Biden's new approach reflects a new phase in the 2020 primary, with Democratic candidates sharpening their criticism of their foes and drawing more distinctions.

The campaign is reframing its critiques of Warren, a source close to Biden's campaign told CNN. It is no longer that "she is a liar," the source said.
"It's 'Warren is a smarty britches who thinks if you don't agree with her, you're an idiot,'" the source said in describing Biden's new approach.
.......

[emmaverybo]

43. That pact she made with him is a double-edged sword. He hasn't held up his part. Yes, now she

needs to make clear that she’s not with Bernie.

Totally agree with remarks in response to post.

[highplainsdem]

55. Thanks! And yes, that non-aggression pact helped only Sanders. His surrogates never paid attention

to it.

[still_one]

27. They should. Enough free passes for Bernie

[calguy]

36. Bernie needs to be vetted

And vetted hard. The stakes are too high.

[still_one]

41. He sure does, and that includes his past

[UniteFightBack]

54. This is true because I didn't even know about quite a few things in his background that I

found out just recently. The corrupt GOP will have a field day bringing all his baggage to light....and it ain't pretty.

[JoeOtterbein]

37. What's alternative? We all know the repubs will spend the money on war and more anyway, like...

...tax cuts.

What makes anyone think that Bernie is unrealistic, when we trumpers just burned a few trill in tax cuts?

At this point no one is talking about paying to prepare for war in space. Why not spend it here on earth?

On us for a change!

[democratisphere]

39. .

[highplainsdem]

63. Are you laughing at my guess as to what will be the focus of the debate, or laughing at the thought

of Sanders' answers?

[democratisphere]

66. ONLY the latter.

Voodoo economics.

[highplainsdem]

69. Thanks! And I can see why you call Sanders' ideas voodoo economics. I call it magical mystery

economics.

[Aaron Pereira]

59. Now that Sanders is widely considered the frontrunner I expect the same.

Biden faced tough questioning as well but I don't think it ever turned into an entire debate with all arrows pointed at him. We'll see shortly what happens in Sanders case.

[Gothmog]

85. Bernie Sanders' agenda: Its cost -- possibly $60 trillion -- would set a peacetime US record

Link to tweet

Sanders' plan, though all of its costs cannot be precisely quantified, would increase government spending as a share of the economy far more than the New Deal under President Franklin Roosevelt, the Great Society under Lyndon Johnson or the agenda proposed by any recent Democratic presidential nominee, including liberal George McGovern in 1972, according to a historical analysis shared with CNN by Larry Summers, the former chief White House economic adviser for Barack Obama and treasury secretary for Bill Clinton.

Sanders' plan would also increase the size of government far more than any modern Republican president, including Ronald Reagan, has sought to cut it, Summers' analysis concluded.

"On the spending side, ... this is far more radical than all previous presidencies, on either the right or the left," Summers said in an interview. "The Sanders spending increase is roughly 2.5 times the size of the New Deal and the estimated fiscal impact of George McGovern's campaign proposals. This is six times as large of a growth of government than any of the Ronald Reagan dismemberments. We are in a kind of new era of radical proposal."

Exact cost projections on all of Sanders' proposals aren't available, in part because he hasn't fully fleshed out some of the ideas he's embraced (such as universal pre-K and child care). But a wide variety of estimates put the likely cost of the single-payer health care plan he has endorsed around $30 trillion or more over the next decade. Depending on the estimates used, including projections from his own campaign, the other elements of the Sanders agenda -- ranging from his "Green New Deal" to the cancellation of all student debt to a guaranteed federal jobs program that has received almost no scrutiny -- could cost about as much, or even more than, the single-payer plan. That would potentially bring his 10-year total for new spending to around $60 trillion, or more.

[Nanjeanne]

98. If so, I hope every candidate has to answer that question. After all, opening up a public option

costs money too and has to be paid for. And subsidies to pay for private insurance when someone's income falls short comes from taxpayers money so candidates who advocate for that should also disclose how they plan to pay and how much money from taxpayers go for those subsidies to go to uber-profitable private health insurance companies. I would also expect that every candidate answers how they pay for all their promises in detail and how they expect to get any of their proposals through Congress. Of course, any candidate that will be putting "entitlements" on the table will have no problem getting that "compromise" through with Republicans - but I do hope that the moderators ask every candidate about that.

Not sure why Sanders needs to answer questions that no other candidate has to. Everyone's plans (even more incremental ones) cost money.