Clinton/Sanders set to play Vegas

SOMETHING'S ABOUT to happen in Vegas that really won't stay in Vegas.

The Democrats running for president square off there tomorrow night.

Yep, after months of focus on Donald Trump, Hillary's emails and whether Biden's in or out, the first Democratic debate's at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel live on CNN.

Will Hill feel the Bern? Who are those other guys? Is Joe a go or no?

All eyes will be on Clinton, whose campaign's been less than flawless. The best description I've heard is she campaigns like a driver who's been in 20 accidents.

And, of course, there's Bernie Sanders, the populist Democratic socialist senator and major surprise of the season. Now the nation gets to hear what Sanders has been selling.

Although Clinton leads Sanders nationally, Sanders leads Clinton in early states, and those early states sometimes create momentum.

So there should be some tension on the stage.

Still, this debate isn't likely to draw 23 million to 24 million viewers like the first two GOP debates because, come on, the entertainment factor, despite location, is absent.

Trump won't be there.

But it'll be interesting to watch Clinton offer evidence of warmth and trustworthiness to combat the perception that she's possessed of neither.

A Quinnipiac University poll just last week says only one-third of voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida - states key to winning the White House - view Clinton as trustworthy.

In contrast, a majority in those states say Sanders is trustworthy.

So what happens? I bet very little gambling.

Clinton won't directly attack Sanders, and Sanders won't directly attack Clinton. They haven't done so yet. They won't do so now.

But Clinton can question Sanders' plans for free public college education and a $1 trillion infrastructure program and how he'd get a Republican Congress to pay for them.

And Sanders can question why voters would stick with "establishment" politicians (such as you know who) responsible for the ills of the nation, especially economic inequality, and the Iraq War (supported by you know who), which cost $1.7 trillion and which Sanders voted against.

Clinton can score with the party base by pointing to Sanders' record on guns.

As a House member, he voted against the 1993 Brady Act establishing federal background checks (and signed into law by Hillary's hubby); and voted in 2005 to protect gun makers, distributors and sellers from liability lawsuits, something then-Sen. Clinton voted against.

Still, Sanders might mention Clinton flip-flops on the Keystone pipeline and free trade and emerge as more interesting than Clinton, if not an outright winner.

That's because Clinton can't help being cautious and Sanders can't stand being cautious. And because Clinton and Sanders won't be alone on the Vegas stage.

Also running are former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

None has a shot at the nomination.

(When Chafee announced in June, for example, he said he wanted to "wage peace" and switch America to the metric system.)

But people polling at an average of less than 1 percent (as these three are) tend to go after front-runners, in this case Clinton.

If any land some hurt on her, Sanders stands to benefit.

Of course Clinton could shine and remind Democrats why she's led every national poll for the nomination since last November.

Hey, maybe that's why they're in Vegas.

I mean the state has only six electoral votes. And it's been a swing state: twice for Bill Clinton, twice for George W. Bush, twice for Barack Obama.

But if Democrats are hedging their bets on their presumptive nominee and if a debate can fully restore Clinton's "inevitable" status, what better place to hold it than in a city with the nickname "Capital of Second Chances"?

Email: baerj@phillynews.com

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