Clinton's strategy for taking down Bernie: Not Fighting

Hillary Clinton, still considered to be the front runner in the democratic primaries, will be having her first televised debate in only a handful of days. As the front runner of a race with only a single threatening opponent, Clinton has a plethora of strategies she could select for her on stage confrontation with Sanders. Many are urging her to avoid confrontation. The beliefs behind this strategy are as follows:

1) Clinton should avoid alienation of Sander's supporters, because she will likely need them for the general election.
2) "Fighting" him head on may lend him more political legitimacy.
3) Coming across as anti-Sanders will allow him to continue to play the victim card.
4) She needs to continue to keep her chin up and act like the leader in the race that she is.

While, a loud, rhetorical fist fight, like portions of the republican primaries, would certainly be more interesting, we'll likely see a far calmer scene this Tuesday night. Ultimately, it's an opportunity cost vs. benefit analysis: if sparks fly, Sanders, who is still a long shot from the oval office, has more to gain than Clinton, who simply needs to avoid losing her lead over her opponents.