But Bernie policy is consistent with popular opinion. His policy platform is in the mainstream of American wants and needs.
So, it's my estimation that these particular smears would be ineffective. They would be dismissed as badly motivated smears from a badly motivated party who supports a serial philanderer and accused rapist.
As for the gun smears, Bernie isn't soft on guns. Just look at his D- rating from the NRA.
I actually think conservative smears on Bernie actually help him since conservatives are so out of touch with where the majority of the country is. They would smear him with silly things that actually solidify his support.
Biden however is vulnerable because he embodies the establishment and it's bad track record
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Well, if it's like this, why are all the early polls showing Sanders badly behind? Remember, this time, the progressive vote in the primaries won't be just Bernie's, but will be divided among others (Warren, Harris, etc.). Biden on the other hand is likely to gobble up most of the moderate voters.
Don't underestimate Conservative smears. Hillary lost the election (among other blunders, but did most closely lose it on this, since before it, she was ahead, then took a nose dive) on the Comey letter stating, 11 days before the election, that her emails were found in a convicted pedophile's laptop. The sheer association (something Hillary had nothing to do with; likely a blunder by her assistant, the spouse of said pedophile) disgusted many people. Now, Sanders has HIMSELF made some quite pedophile-like statements... which haven't been systematic exploited by attack ads. Trump is a specialist is smearing people and he shouldn't be underestimated in his ability to do so. I do think that if Sanders wins the nomination, we'll see him depicted as a pedophile. I'm fully aware that it's unfair, untrue, and hypocritical since Trump has supported a pedophile in GOP state primaries and has boasted about entering teenage girls' locker rooms when they were in a state of undress. But since when did fairness, truth, and refraining from hypocrisy, stop Trump??? His base doesn't care about what he does; the Dem base, however, does care about what their candidates do, as shown in Al Franken's case.
You say that Biden embodies the establishment. Well, Biden is the least wealthy US Senator/former senator, did you know that? And people associate Biden with the Obama administration, and they miss Obama, who ended his two terms with very high approval ratings.
No, I think Biden not only has better chances at winning the Dem nomination, but also better chances at beating Trump.
People keep applying data from 2016 to 2020. These are apples and oranges. In 2016 an expressive chunk of both sides got tired of the establishment and wanted alternative candidates. It may very well be the case (as shown by Biden leading Sanders among primary Dem voters in Penn by an astounding 38% to 13%) that this time, people will be tired of extremism (with all the turmoil the nation has been suffering), and longing for the rice-and-beans middle-of-the-road dignified president like Obama was.
Look, Nancy Pelosi is no fool. That woman is *extremely* experienced and politically savvy. She's been trying to curtail the youthful enthusiasm of green people like AOC with the latter's pretty extreme proposals. I believe that Nancy is feeling that the winds are blowing on the sails of moderates, this time (which is why she is also not pushing the impeachment agenda forward).
I think America is tired and frightened after a few years of erratic Trump, and want a sort of calm leadership that won't make too many waves. That's Biden. That's not Sanders.
