When Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris greeted each other on stage before Wednesday’s debate, Biden could be heard saying to her, “Go easy on me, kid.”

He smiled, but the joke was on him. This time, it wasn’t just Harris who was gunning for the former vice president.

Front-runners have targets on their backs, but Biden is turning out to be a human piñata. It’s as if the entire field has decided that, next to displaying utter hatred for President Trump, beating up on Biden is the best way to appeal to the party’s far left wing.

And so Sen. Cory Booker, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and even the pathetic Mayor Putz took their whacks at Biden in a bid to bring him down and break open the race.

They went after his health care plan, his record on race and criminal justice, border deportations and environmental plans. In nearly every instance, the criticism was that he was either wrong in the past or wrong for the future — and sometimes both.

He didn’t crack, but Biden did not look strong and he’s not scaring anyone. He slurred his words, interrupted himself and rarely gave as good as he got despite being better prepared.

Warned that Booker was coming after him, he planned an attack against Booker’s record on police corruption when he was mayor of Newark.

Booker laughed at the effort, saying he was surprised Biden wanted to compare records but was happy to do it. Later, under assault again, Biden let himself slip into a tone reeking of self-pity.

“I find it fascinating,” he said with obvious frustration, “that everybody is talking about how terrible I am on these issues.”

He then played his ace, a reference to Barack Obama, saying he “knew exactly who I was … and he chose me.”

Four years ago, that would have hushed the rabble. But Obama is no longer a magic word, especially to this new and rabid breed of Democrats. They smell blood, and my bet is that Biden is not going to be the nominee.

After watching two nights of a total of 20 Dems go at each other, I see a party more divided than even recent headlines would suggest. This is far beyond Nancy Pelosi vs. the Squad, and it’s not always about Trump.

Democrats really don’t have a unified vision of who they are and what they should stand for. Many also are haunted by Trump, complaining that tough questions are “Republican talking points.”

The discord Tuesday revolved around Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders being forced to defend their endless promises of free stuff against more sensible opponents. Both Warren and Sanders showed frustration and accused their fellow Dems of being timid and afraid, sometimes angrily.

Then Wednesday night, the roles reversed, with the other top-tier candidates, Biden and Harris, having to defend plans their opponents called timid. The only similarity between the two nights is that the four leaders have their hands full because they have so many opponents who are desperate to stay alive and qualify for the next debate in September.

As for the polls, Harris made a big move after she confronted Biden over busing in the first debate, but more recently has started to fade. Her performance Wednesday night probably won’t help her.



Sen. Michael Bennet joined Biden in criticizing her health care plan as both confusing and unrealistic. More devastating, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard faulted Harris’ record as California attorney general, charging she hid exculpatory evidence from a death row inmate.

Harris appeared rattled by the incoming and there was a long stretch where she seemed happy to stay on the sidelines.

The CNN panelists did a decent job of firing tough questions, though too often they let the candidates wiggle free without a direct answer. But there were two major problems.

First, anchor Don Lemon had no business being there. On both nights, he accused Trump of being a racist while asking questions. He wanted agreement, and of course he got it, which distorted the discussion and turned the candidates into props for his bias.

Second, I get it that CNN didn’t want to ask the candidates on Tuesday about Russia, Russia, Russia. After all, the network and the Dems had beaten the story to death for two years, only to have it revealed as a hoax, so silence was mutually beneficial.

But Wednesday night, with Biden on stage, was different. Just last week, former special counsel Robert Mueller testified that the Russian interference in the 2016 election was “sweeping and systematic.”

A question about what Biden knew and when he knew it seemed not only reasonable, but essential for someone who cites his experience as vice president as a reason why he should be president.

But CNN never raised Russia either night, meaning the story that the network stuffed down the nation’s throat for more than two years has entirely disappeared.

Any questions about why nobody watches CNN anymore?