The next Democratic debate is tonight at 9 pm Eastern and will air on PBS. However, if you don't have a TV, just check out the online live stream above.
At the debate, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will face off for the first time since Sanders's dramatic 22-point landslide victory in the New Hampshire primary. Clinton will be hoping to regroup and position her campaign for wins in the next contests, the Nevada caucuses (February 20) and the South Carolina primary (February 27). Sanders's main goal, meanwhile, will be to win more nonwhite voters to his cause — because as long as Clinton is still clobbering him among the black and Hispanic voters who are so crucial to the Democratic coalition, he'll remain the underdog in this race.
But let's keep some perspective here. A year ago, practically no one would have predicted that the little-known "democratic socialist" from Vermont would have come this far against the near-unanimous choice of the Democratic establishment. This is a remarkable achievement already, and it's testament to the power of Sanders's economics-focused message, to his supporters' enthusiasm and organization, and to his overwhelming popularity among young voters. And it's also a stinging rejection of the Democratic establishment and Hillary Clinton by many of the party's voters.
One interesting dynamic that has emerged in this race is that Clinton and Sanders seem to have starkly different views about how progressive change can actually be achieved. Sanders has been touting his hopes for a political revolution that will transform politics in America, as I wrote about here. (And check out some of our recent polling on his revolution here.) But Clinton has laid out a far more pragmatic — some would say pessimistic — view that progress can only be made through grinding political combat and well-chosen fights on the issues where things can actually get done, as Ezra Klein wrote recently.
And Clinton has been increasingly raising doubts about Sanders's ability to defeat the Republican nominee, too — doubts shared by many political observers. Sanders will have to convince the party's more pragmatic voters to that it's worth taking a chance on him. So expect the topic of Sanders's electability to come up in tonight's debate, and again in the weeks to come.
How to watch:
When: 9 pm Eastern
Where: University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee
TV: PBS
Online: An online live stream will be available.
