“Most [aides] feel it’s not going to be great,” one longtime Biden ally who has had conversations with top aides inside the campaign, acknowledged Monday…

The problem, some Biden allies say, is that expectations for most of the candidates besides Sanders are also low, potentially setting up another moderate candidate, such as Buttigieg or Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), to outperform and leave Iowa with a burst of momentum.

“If Amy or Pete does better than expected and is getting a ton of buzz going into New Hampshire, that’s really bad for Biden,” said one Democrat who has raised money for Biden. “The longer there are more moderate candidates fighting over table scraps while Bernie gains strength, the more narrow the path gets for him going forward.”