I actually think fewer debates helps Bernie and hurts Hillary. The DNC did Bernie a favor.

[Cali_Democrat]

I think it's comparable to college basketball v.s. the NBA.

In college basketball, teams are eliminated if they lose a single game. It's much more likely that you'll see an underdog advance and knock off a favorite because of the single-elimination format.

In the NBA, it's a 7 game series. The favorite almost always prevails in the end when it's extended.

I think the DNC did Bernie a favor.

[el_bryanto]

1. Well it depends on the debate format

If he's given an opportunity to clearly delineate between himself and Clinton - than that'll be good. It also depends on how many others get in the race - if it ends up being Hillary Clinton and 5 others - than Bernie may have a hard time standing out in a crowd.

But you are right it could turn to his benefit.

Bryant

[Chathamization]

3. Judging by past debates, I wouldn't be surprised at something like 40% of the time talking to

Clinton, 25% a piece for O'Malley and Biden, and 10% for Sanders (if, for example, those were the four candidates participating).

[hrmjustin]

2. I think 6 is enough for her to get her message out.

She will shine.

[NYC_SKP]

5. Getting her message out is just one small aspect of the thing, getting everyone else's out matters.

You and I have both probably seen well-moderated and poorly-moderated debates.

Often, the lesser known candidates get the least amount of time.

Secretary Clinton has an awful lot of resources at hand to get her message out without debates, it's not a leap to conclude that she'll be able to get her message out in six debates.

The question is "are six debates enough for the other candidates to get their message out?"

Given that there were 26 debates in 2008, I think not.

[hrmjustin]

6. Well they can ask for 2 to 4 more.

I would not be surprised if they added more.

[NYC_SKP]

8. I hope so, 10 would be good.

I hope they add more, but only if they're done fairly.

The country is starving for transparency, and there are an awful lot of issues that need to be debated.

If there are only three candidates then there may be less need for more debates, but more of them allows for more viewers to catch at least one of them.

[rock]

4. I think you have a reasonable point

In any case the DNC is not doing the US any favors by biasing the debates.

[Vinca]

7. I don't know. Hillary usually does pretty well in debates.

But I'm sure Bernie will do well in the format, too. Hillary's weakest presentation point is when she gives formal speeches. She has an odd, plodding cadence when she does. It's as if she's speaking in front of a room full of people with comprehension problems.

[winter is coming]

9. What an incredibly poor analogy.

In basketball, the winner is determined by a relatively objective measure--the final score--and not by which team the audience was most familiar with at the start of the game/series. The new proposed debate structure heavily favors the early frontrunner, and early frontrunners often rely on name recognition, which isn't always enough to carry them over the finish line. It's a tacit admission on the DNC's part that they don't think Hillary can do well in 2016 without a little "help" from the refs.