DES MOINES — The Democratic Party establishment is trying to figure out how they can rig the game against Bernie Sanders — again.

They're changing the rules to help Michael Bloomberg make the next debate — he might just be the establishment backup plan if Joe Biden flops. And far more importantly, the Democratic National Committee is discussing returning power to superdelegates in the first round of the Democratic convention, allowing party bosses to take the decision away from the party's rank-and-file.

I know the conventional wisdom: Sanders is a geriatric socialist, and he can't possibly win. But is it grounded in reality? Is Sanders really weaker than Elizabeth Warren? She has honesty issues, she's your least favorite college professor, and she's from Massachusetts. Is he weaker than Pete Buttigieg, who already looks like he's exhausted from campaigning even though he's, like, 18?

Most polls show Sanders doing just barely worse than Joe Biden in head-to-head polls against President Trump — definitely better than the other Democrats who haven't caused the party establishment to freak out.

So, why are Democratic mandarins losing their minds? Because all politics is identity politics.

To a Democratic Party establishment figure, Joe Biden is "one of us" because he was Barack Obama's vice president. His top aides are all lobbyists and fundraisers. Warren, for all her populist talk, is also "one of us." She's an Obama administration alumna, she has plenty of East Coast donors, and she's perfectly comfortable in a wine cave. And Buttigieg, being a gay centrist, has everything cut out for him.

If Sanders won, the lobbyists and donors might actually have a rough time. The mandarins might not have jobs.

Sanders is ornery. He's simply not one of us. Obama's supposed broadsides to Big Business were chock full of subsidies, handouts, and mandates that enriched the insiders. The revolving door kept spinning. Warren and Biden and Buttigieg would obviously be the same.

Sanders might not be.

And so, the powers that be in the Democratic Party are once again freaking out.