..And it begins; right on cue.

The DNC and CNN collaborate to provide Joe Biden with his preferred comfort format for the next debate on March 15th between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. The Club knows Biden does best in debate formats when sitting down at a desk; just like the 2012 debate between Biden and Paul Ryan.

CNN is hosting the debate, and CNN is the most friendly control operation for the needs of the Club. So what happens… CNN and The Club agree to a small venue town hall format where Joe Biden will be sitting down at a desk to debate Bernie Sanders.

It is all predictable in the extreme:

(Politico) Bernie Sanders wants to stand up at the next debate — and his campaign is accusing Joe Biden of wanting to sit down. After a private call Friday with CNN, which is moderating the March 15 debate with the Democratic National Committee, Sanders’ team balked at a new proposed format for debate, saying it gives his opponent Biden too much of a break in their first one-on-one face-off. Biden’s camp denied that it was pressing for a sit-down debate.

The format for the next debate in Arizona — their first since Biden’s blowout Super Tuesday victories — would have the candidates seated for the first time this election cycle and take multiple questions from the audience. In the prior 10 debates, the candidates stood at lecterns and nearly all questions were asked by the professional moderators. […] The new format would be a town hall-style production featuring audience questions but in a more intimate setting with the candidates in chairs behind desks. […] “Joe Biden does not want to go head-to-head with Bernie Sanders, stand there for two hours, and go back and forth with Bernie Sanders,” Weaver said. “He wants it broken up with audience questions because he knows in that environment, he won’t fare very well.” (read more)

The “audience members” who ask questions will all be plants by the Club and CNN; and the Biden campaign will be provided all of the topics and questions well in advance to assist their rehearsal efforts just like they did for Hillary in 2016. Wash-Rinse-Repeat.