We call this the “Marco Rubio” choice.
Via The Hill:
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders faces a stark choice after suffering a defeat to rival Hillary Clinton in the New York primary.
The Vermont senator could maintain, or even escalate, his criticism of Clinton on issues such as her speeches to Wall Street. Or he could seek to dial down the tensions in the race, which could help unify the party heading into the Democratic National Convention this summer.
If he chooses to attack, Sanders risks creating a vicious circle, some Democratic insiders say.
“He has … been in this situation where in order to break out, he gets more negative. But the more negative or strident he gets, the worse he does,” said strategist Joe Trippi, who ran Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential bid. “In a classic campaign, you can’t get there unless you break some eggs. But the more eggs he breaks, the messier it gets and the worse it is for him.”
The loss in New York Tuesday came after Sanders suggested Clinton’s ties to big business made her “unqualified” to be president. He also mocked her refusal to make public the transcripts of her speeches to Goldman Sachs. At several rallies, including one in Brooklyn two days before the primary, Sanders said Clinton’s words must have reached the standard of “Shakespearean prose,” given the $225,000 fee she received for delivering them.