Donald Trump earned billions in free publicity during the 2016 election, defeating a crowded field of more experienced rivals to win the nomination and then the presidency. So far, none of the people seeking to replace him are trying the same strategy. Nine of the 23 Democratic presidential candidates took the stage at the Poor People’s Campaign forum in Washington Monday, the latest cattle-call event in which the historically crowded field failed to make a splash. Even with several candidates struggling to break out of the bottom tier in polling, they stuck to the script, discussing their policy proposals and between the lines promising a return to normalcy if elected. “In 2016 we got the ‘Hunger Games,’ and, look, we’re paying the price for those showy tactics.