wasserman schultz said something today about the debates that really concerned me...

[restorefreedom]

she was talking on msnbc to ari filling in for ed. he was talking about how gop is limiting participation to 10 in their debates. then he asked her how dnc was handling it. she said they were working on it. he asked her again and again she dodged the question by saying it would be ready soon or something. i'm sorry but what is there to work on regarding participation? there are only 4 now, 5 with biden but he is not in it yet.

i have a bad feeling the dnc is going to pull some bs like "you have to be a registered democrat" or something technical to keep bernie out of the debates. she was very cagey with ari on that question.

i am worried. please tell me i am crazy.

edit: i welcome supporters of all candidates to tell me i have nothing to worry about.

[Man of Distinction]

1. Time to send the Bern to W-S

W-S needs to get her rear end (happy, ronnykmarshall?) Berned to start an early August debates, and add six more and drop the exclusivity rule effective immediately, so groups can request debates.

Otherwise, W-S is in it very hard for Clinton, and is ordering her lackeys as such. As such, we reject the Democratic National Committee and its officers until the general election is over.

[HooptieWagon]

4. W-S is all in for Hillary.

The BS she pulled and lies she spewed in '08 were pathetic. I fully expect her to try and rig the primary for Hillary.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

51. Is anyone surprised by this?

[2banon]

83. This!^^^^^^10000! n/t

[TheBlackAdder]

139. The Kicker: Vermont Residents DO NOT Register with a Party Affiliation!

.

You can't register as a Democrat or Republican in Vermont!


"Do I have to register as a Democrat, Republican, Independent or some other party in Vermont?


No. There is no party registration in Vermont.

All registered voters can vote in the primary election—but can only vote on one ballot. You will be given a ballot for each of the major parties. You mark one of the ballots and put the remaining unvoted ballots into a discard bin. Which ballot you chose to vote is private and not recorded (except during the presidential primary, where voters must publicly take one ballot or the other, and their choice is recorded on the entrance checklist)."




https://www.sec.state.vt.us/elections/frequently-asked-questions/voter-registration.aspx

[restorefreedom]

5. i hate it that w-s is so obviously biased toward one candidate

wish howard dean was still on the job

and welcome aboard!

[Trajan]

30. I cancelled my previous monthly contribution to the party

And now giving that money to Bernie ...

[DemocratSinceBirth]

85. Why are you calling ronnykmarshall out by name? /nt

[bravenak]

113. I agree, wtf? That is very rude to do.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

114. I can only think of one thing about ronny that makes him a minority on this site./nt

[bravenak]

115. What is the thing? I'd like to know.nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

116. Ronny is gay./nt

[bravenak]

117. This could be a malicious one.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

118. Maybe he just doesn't like ronny...He has very strong opinions...

Maybe he just doesn't like ronny...ronny has very strong opinions and is not reticent about sharing them like our beloved mutual friend.

[bravenak]

119. Maybe he should learn some manners from our friend.

Then he could become an actual man of distinction.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

120. I see what you did.

But he will never be that one in ten thousand.

[bravenak]

121. Of course not! Not STRONG enough.nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

122. In keeping with the Obama-Biden duo

In keeping with the Obama-Biden duo you can be the president of his fan club and I'll be the vice president.

I think I will drink the hemlock if he gets his fifth hide.

[bravenak]

124. We can be co-presidents.

If he gets the fifth hide I drink with you.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

125. Or take rotatating terms as president

Hopefully some of his hides are old and will fall off soon...

He is truly a great guy...He is the embodiment of the American Dream and he never forgot where he came from.

[bravenak]

126. He is pretty damn awesome.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

128. I would post the Django link but I would get a hide.

I am watching it right now.

It's my favorite scene in the movie.

[bravenak]

129. I love the last scene. Where he finally takes care of Samuel L Jackson.

Then they ride off on the horse. I always tell my husband that that's us.
I love that movie.

Another one I like is where that female slave couldn't figure out how to address Django cause he was free, so he told her to treat him like the poor white dude. Always cracks me up.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

130. Do you like the scene where he first meets Stephen?

Someone pointed out that when Stephen is around Django and there's no white people around he speaks "proper" English but when he's around white people he speaks an affected Southern English .

I need to watch it closer...


I loved Kerry Washington in For Colored Girls and The Last King Of Scotland.

[bravenak]

132. Yes!! He does do that. Great scene!

He only talks like a slave around white people. I need to see for colored girls. I've been bullshitting on my movie watching.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

136. When my gf comes home from work...

When my gf comes home from work i tell her I miss her like a baby misses ....

I need to see for colored girls.

It's a bit like "Waiting to Exhale." I like the scene where Wesley Snipes meets Angela Basset in the bar , goes to her room, but doesn't do anything because he's married, the scene where the guy the other woman is dating shows up drunk after she tossed the "nice guy" aside...

[1StrongBlackMan]

134. ...

"I get to kill white and I get paid to do it? What's there not to like."

[DemocratSinceBirth]

137. I loved Jamie Fox in Ali...

I loved Jamie Fox in Ali where he plays Bundini Brown and appears to Muhammad Ali like an apparition...

[1StrongBlackMan]

131. You guys ...

[bravenak]

133. We're fans.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

138. I would make you piss your pants laughing in real life...

When I was in high school I would spit Ohio Player lyrics like " You are a bad bad Mrs. in them skin tight britches runnin' folks in ditches" and my black friends would think they met the craziest white kid in the world.

[Frustratedlady]

2. I wish they'd replace her. eom

[TheNutcracker]

15. +1

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

52. Long overdue.

[Renew Deal]

112. Me too

I don't think she can do both jobs well.

[Mnpaul]

3. My guess

is that they will put up more candidates to limit airtime to each of the candidates

[brooklynite]

10. What "more candidates" are they going to find?

[Mnpaul]

18. Biden would be one possible candidate

Certain candidates were limited in debate time in 2008. It could happen again.

[brooklynite]

23. 1. Biden won't be running

2. If Biden WAS running, he'd certainly deserve to be in the Debates.

Do you disagree?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

53. Only in that Biden WILL run, but, you're absolutely right that he deserves to participate in the debates...

I would only add that the number of debates should equal the number of participants times two (so 5 x 2 or 10 debates if Biden enters the race) to account for less time each candidate will have to address the issues.

[brooklynite]

101. Why do you assume he'll run?

He know he'll have a tough time against Clinton; why damage his reputation as a successful VP by ending up a political loser? Add to which, a lot of the political and financial support and campaign staff talent is already tied up.

[Mnpaul]

100. I have no problem with Biden running

but he is an insider Dem that won't criticize another insider. Warren spoke of those insider/outsider rules and those rules do limit debate.

[NCTraveler]

40. If the Vice President of the U.S. throws his hat in the ring....

You have already determined it will be a part of some conspiracy. Seriously? A very popular democrat, Hillarys most formidable opponent in many polls without even being in the race, and you think a conspiracy is a foot. I couldn't make this up.

[Cosmocat]

63. right?

JOE BIDEN is going to run for president to be a body in debates ...

THAT makes sense to people?

[Mnpaul]

102. No conspiracy at all

More corporate Dems on stage means less airtime for the alternative. The insiders stick together.

[Cosmocat]

58. You think Joe Biden

would agree to run for President just to limit "certain" candidates time in debates?

Seriously?

[brooklynite]

105. I think some people need a good conspiracy To worry about.

[Mnpaul]

106. Clinton and Edwards got caught doing it last time

see below
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=435260

[morningfog]

6. I would not be surprised if they tried to exclude Bernie.

There really is no reason for the Aug/Sept debate to bot be formatted and scheduled already.

[restorefreedom]

9. that is what concerns me

and ari was very clear that he was asking about participation because gop is limiting it with so many in. but she kept evading. there are only 4 now..she could have said "we will have a similar cap" or something. but her response led me to think they are up to something regarding bernie. they don.t want him in these debates.

[Cleita]

11. They did it to Dennis Kucinich. eom

[kenfrequed]

73. Bernie has a lot more support than Kucinich

And it was the Iowa Plains Dealer (republican rag) that tried hard to squash Kucinich. It would have been nice if the party would have stood up to them.

I was acutally a Kucinich supporter but I found that I had to roll my eyes at some of the way he said things. I am so much happier with Bernie who cuts through the BS, goes straight to policy, and doesn't talk about establishing a "Department of Peace."

[Cleita]

86. Oh I agree. I loved Dennis but I knew he wouldn't have that much support.

But what got me was the incident when Hillary Clinton and John Edwards and were caught whispering on mic about, well just read for yourself.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/07/14/clinton-edwards-caught-on-open-mic/

Whatever powers they had, Dennis was not allowed to participate in the next debate. To her credit, Amy Goodman had Dennis on her news show and let him answer the questions that he was not allowed to answer on the debate stage although he was still a candidate.

Will she try the same with Bernie?

[cascadiance]

123. I still wonder if insiders already knew of Edwards' transgressions at that point...

... and that this was just one more way that they could keep the spotlight off of Kucinich as a potential "progressive option" to be involved with the primaries later in to them to provide more progressive viewpoints in his answers in the debate. When they dinged Edwards right before Super Tuesday, in effect this in effect pushed those progressive voters that had moved to him from Kucinich as a "realistic choice" in to feeling they did not having anyone and therefore many moved to Obama's more nebulous campaign "hoping" for good answers that never came instead of having answers like where Hillary stood on middle east war that they already didn't like. If Edwards were outed earlier, who knows how much more support Kucinich might have gotten then. Even if he hadn't won, he could have had the ability to keep the debate dialogue still having more substance from a progressive standpoint had he been able to stay in the race longer.

[winter is coming]

37. That would be a huge mistake on their part. n/t

[HooptieWagon]

87. Agreed.

DNC is going to really piss off a large percentage of Democratic base if Bernie is excluded from the debates. It would end up a bloodbath for Dems.

[MannyGoldstein]

7. Unless there's a threat of Bernie going third party

The Democratic Establishment will totally @#$& with him.

[Cali_Democrat]

36. Not to worry....

Bernie has a shitload of momentum and he's gaining on Hillary every week.

You seen those crowds?

It's only a matter of time before everyone is on the bandwagon.

#FeelTheBern

[brooklynite]

8. So the DNC, which welcomed Sanders into the race...

...is now going to drop him from the debates.

I suppose if a conspiracy theory gets you through the day.....

[restorefreedom]

16. i am not a theorist

i want to be wrong. can you think of why w-s was being so evasive about participation? i would love for this to blow over but she seemed to not want to answer the question. it is july. there are 4 in. it's not complicated.

[brooklynite]

22. ...probably because they DO need to develop a set policy...

...to keep the 50 OTHER Democratic candidates out.

http://2016.democratic-candidates.org/

[restorefreedom]

25. ok but why not have it figured out

it's not like the 2016 election is catching them by surprise. she could have said something to ari like "we'll have a similar cap" or something. she seemed to avoid anything specific about who will participate or even what criteria they will use. it concerns me. when bernie is in the debates, you can say "i told you so" and i will be happy to hear it.

[kenfrequed]

76. Uhm...

Is there some magic kind of criteria that they are trying to fashion for this debate that will be different from every other year that 50 perennials are running?

I actually worry that they are looking to throw a lot of the fifty into the mix to muddy the water and keep this about name recognition. That isn't 'conspiracy theory' that is strategy. If there were more people running we would end up where the republicans are now and there is an interest in the establishment democrats to try to shake it that direction.

[TheNutcracker]

12. He's running on the democratic ticket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If he wins, it's the dem party.

She's always cagey, and I'm tired of her shenanigans.

[AtomicKitten]

13. By this time in 2007, there had been 3 debates, by July 12th four.

Last edited Fri Jul 10, 2015, 04:22 AM - Edit history (1)

April 26, 2007 – Orangeburg, South Carolina, South Carolina State University
June 3, 2007 - CNN 7:00pm EDT - Goffstown, New Hampshire, Saint Anselm College
June 28, 2007 - PBS - Washington, D.C., Howard University
July 12, 2007–Detroit, Michigan

[kath]

20. Yeah, what the hell is up with that?! Seems VERY hinky that there were 4 debates by July 12 in 2007

Last edited Fri Jul 10, 2015, 02:57 AM - Edit history (1)

What. The. Hell.

[AtomicKitten]

31. hella hinky <nt>

Last edited Fri Jul 10, 2015, 03:23 AM - Edit history (1)

[PoliticAverse]

43. Don't you think the process is a little long now as it is? n/t

[djean111]

78. I guess not, since Bernie supporters are being constantly harangued that it is all over, we should

give up and support Hillary NOW! Based entirely on polls, no debates.

[Cosmocat]

59. By this time in 2007 the republicans had four debates

how many have they had so far?

AGAIN, the timing on this was set WELL before this primary even started, as a reaction to the 2007 freak show.

[stevenleser]

90. Yep kudos to the DNC for learning that lesson from the Repugs without having us go through it

ourselves.

The debates should be enough to get to know the candidates and what their positions on the issues are. What Repug nomination process 2007 proved was that if you have enough debates, you will provide enough fodder to make every candidate unelectable.

People weren't watching the last 75% of the Repug debates, they were just catching the misspeaks on the news and on youtube. That's not what we need.

[morningfog]

14. Here's the video.

http://www.msnbc.com/the-ed-show/watch/dnc-chair-talks-dem-debates-481392195636

[restorefreedom]

17. thanks. i didn't think it would be loaded up on the site. n/t

[DonCoquixote]

19. sighs

Debbie is playing kneecapper again, as she only supports the sort of democrats that have no problem making the GOP happy.

[Scuba]

50. Bingo!

[swilton]

24. Wouldn't the DNC/Democratic Party

suffer from a major credibility problem if they excluded Sanders....He has both public and at least some party support at this point.

[global1]

27. W-S Needs To Be Very Careful And Not Exclude Bernie From Any Debate Because.....

Bernie's ace in the hole response could be - "Ok - I'll just run as an Independent." If that happened - it would guarantee a Repug win of the WH.

It's better that they include Bernie in the debates - because yes - it will give him exposure - but Hillary would benefit as well.

I know Bernie said he wouldn't run as an Independent - but - given the momentum he's been building and his following - he might be in a different mindset if they tried to exclude him from debates - knowing that the WH is within his striking distance.

[HooptieWagon]

88. Even given that Bernie doesn't run as an I...

There is a sizeable percentage of the Dem base that will sit on their hands in the GE in protest, if Bernie isn't given an equal chance of participation in the primary....including debates. DWS is under scrutiny...if she blows it the bloodbath falls squarely on her shoulders.

[Mnpaul]

110. The DNC already suffers from a credibility problem

what's a little less going to do. They seem to love losing elections.

[Thinkingabout]

26. If the DNC had intention of preventing Bernie from participating in debates they would have stopped

him before now. This is all a put up about nothing. It is about Bernie selling himself and his record. He has said he will abide by the DNC rules, then this is where this should go.

[askew]

28. I actually think DWS is going to kick

all the other candidates out besides Hillary and Sanders due to polling numbers. Sanders isn't going to give Hillary a hard time during the debates and Hillary can run as a reasonable alternative to him. Chafee and Webb are both going to go at Hillary hard for her Iraq vote and other foreign policy debacles. And O'Malley would bring up some ugly contrasts with Hillary on immigration, death penalty, etc.

But, a Sanders vs. Hillary debate would be Hillary's dream match-up.

As for the # of debates, the DNC agreed to Hillary's initial request for only 6 debates and to forbid outside debates. She is trying to do as little as possible and skate to the nomination. And DWS is more than willing to bend the rules to help Hillary.

[winter is coming]

38. There's no need to do that, and it would be a real stinkeroo of an idea.

And would pretty much guarantee that there would be outside debates and Hillary would be left standing alone at the "official" ones.

[NorthCarolina]

54. No way, a one-on-one Hillary vs Bernie would

be shooting themselves in the foot. They will undoubtedly be other 'candidates' in the debate that are in sync with Clinton speak to limit Sanders speaking time, and to make it appear as though his ideas are radically outside the party.

[DonCoquixote]

77. the magic words

She is trying to do as little as possible and skate to the nomination. And DWS is more than willing to bend the rules to help Hillary.

again

She is trying to do as little as possible and skate to the nomination.

And that is why the folks who claim to want to help Hillary by beating down anyone who criticizes her are hurting her. If he gets this prickly at a Bernie Sanders, who has 1/10 the budget and 1/10 the staff who whoever will win the GOP bid, how the hell does she plan to WIN the election. Yes, there are a lot of democrats who frankly have been trying to help her "skate" to the nomination since 2008, the same people who say "Hillary woulda been better in 2008" Yeah, better at war with Syria, or making outsourcing, or dismantling the last of the support state that democrats used to define themselves with. If Democrats insist on letting her ride on a sedan chair to the convention, the GOP will see that she is NOT prepared for a fight, which means all they have to do is keep people home. I am not just talking about the Nader voters who seem to think staying home and whining is the supreme act of American patriotism, I am talking about areas where people in the South will be harassed by cops, where governors will try to BLEACH the voting rolls to pure white, and where self appointed "voting monitors" will have all the restraint (and all of the guns) of Dylan Storm Roof. People who were told to fuck off, or that they need to stop whining about welfare and jobs, are not going to be able to summon the sort of unity and superhuman endurance it will take to overcome that.

[restorefreedom]

89. those words give me chills

no doubt she thought it was her turn in 2008. and now it is more than her turn as some see it. having her on a debate stage with someone who will talk about real issues can only hurt her.

but the strategy of hovering above everyone and dropping vague platitudes is going to fail this time. people have seen through this. they know they are getting screwed by low wages, bad trade deals, and corporate/government deals. they want someone to fix it and tell them how they are going to do it.

[kenfrequed]

81. No... She wants as many of them in as possible

If she really is supporting Hillary she wants Bernie to get lost in a crowd (Hillary and the seven dwarves.) It has the potential to split the 'anyone but hillary' vote.

Putting Hillary v Sanders gives him way more focus than the Clinton campaign wants. They are happy playing 'inevitable' and they don't want a lot of people asking "why are we supporting her."

Half of the other candidates are already running for Hillary's Veep anyhow. They will be more likely to make bold wild statements to carve out some consituency that she doesn't have locked down. Or in the case of O'Malley he will probably attack Bernie on guns during the debate and say something like "Guns have ravaged the city of Baltimore in my home state Senator"

It is kind of predictable.

The point of the Hillary inevitable campaign is to have as few debates as possible (that is an absolute standard tactic for anyone that has a commanding lead) and to have as many people in them as possible to prevent anyone from galvanizing support.

[Mnpaul]

108. Bernie would go after Hillary on the issues

he wouldn't stoop to silly Republican style attacks. A debate on the issues would not go well for Hillary. Her "lobbyists are people too" comment last time is a good example. Debate skills are not her strong point.

[AgingAmerican]

29. The status quo fear Bernie

It's that simple.

[Control-Z]

32. Is it possible, at all possible, she's trying to

work out the Independent/Democratic conflicts so Bernie can be included on all primary ballots and debates?

Does it have to be about cheating and bad will?

[restorefreedom]

39. she could have told ari that

instead her comments were evasive about the criteria being used to decide who gets to be in the debates.

sorry but i don't trust w-s.

[Cosmocat]

60. yes, she should have openly said as head of the DNC she was favoring a candidate

by trying to find a way to make sure he was included in the debates.

She spoke vaguely because ... she is a politician operating a political operation.

You got out of it what you want to get out of it, sad as it is.

Outside the psychodrama, do people not get how bad it would make Hillary and the party look to somehow find a reason not include Bernie in debates?

[restorefreedom]

64. it would definitely look bad

but that doesn.t mean some in party establishment wouldn't like to see it

[Cosmocat]

70. and?

you think there aren't Bernie people who wouldn't want to see one 200 day continual debate in a live feed because the think it would favor him?

What people might want to see is not relevant - this is politics, not a marriage.

Ain't NO ONE seriously trying to not have Bernie Sanders at debates, because as the people actually dealing in reality in this string have noted, it would be a massive disaster to the party to do so.

[restorefreedom]

75. i truly hope your conclusion is correct

but i have seen too much not to sometimes be suspicious. many in political power do stupid things because their massive egos forget they are human like the rest of us.

[tritsofme]

33. Sanders won't be excluded. This is about having standards so Lee Mercer Jr

doesn't end up on stage.

[RobertEarl]

34. Fear and loathing at the top of the party?

They are shaking in fear of Bernie and they loath real democracy.

Working on a plan? What the hell do they do all year? Is this primary something they just now thought about?

Fire every last one of those useless anti-democratic ankle biters and give the jobs to real democrats, pronto.

Obama should make a few phone calls and get this settled. NOW!

20 debates, no less!!

[murielm99]

35. Imagine that:

You have to be a Democrat to participate in the Democratic Party debates. How unfair!

[TheBlackAdder]

140. In Vermont, there is NO Party Affiliation

You can't register as a Democrat or Republican in Vermont!


"Do I have to register as a Democrat, Republican, Independent or some other party in Vermont?


No. There is no party registration in Vermont.

All registered voters can vote in the primary election—but can only vote on one ballot. You will be given a ballot for each of the major parties. You mark one of the ballots and put the remaining unvoted ballots into a discard bin. Which ballot you chose to vote is private and not recorded (except during the presidential primary, where voters must publicly take one ballot or the other, and their choice is recorded on the entrance checklist)."




https://www.sec.state.vt.us/elections/frequently-asked-questions/voter-registration.aspx

[murielm99]

141. In Illinois, one does not register by party, either.

But anyone voting in a primary election requests a ballot for one party or the other. Last time, the Greens were in the primary, too. People could request a Green Party ballot. If someone requests, for example, a Democratic ballot in one election, they are not locked in. The next time, they may choose another party's ballot, if they desire.

Local party offices are on those ballots. People vote for precinct committeemen, and in election years, for delegates to the convention.

I think you are confusing this with open or closed primary systems, where all the candidates are on one ballot, and people may choose to cross party lines by office or candidate.

On edit: This seems to be apples and oranges. What does this have to do with the debates? If Sanders wants to participate in the Democratic Party's debates, it stands to reason that he should be a Democrat.

[NCTraveler]

41. The replies here should ease your concern.

Notice that every reply saying he won't be in the debates is followed by a crazy ass conspiracy theory. The posts saying he will be included are based in logic. Go with what your eyes see. Go with logic. Every time.

W S isn't the best at her job. I would like to see her gone. I also know that what she is tasked with here is difficult. She has to devise a plan that includes someone who caucuses with the party but has never been a part of the party. At the same time their will be lifelong democrats excluded from the debates, as they should be. I don't envy the position she is in.

[Cosmocat]

61. RIGHT?

Do people not get how bad it would look for the party to not have Bernie in the debates?

[restorefreedom]

66. great analysis

i do think that it's time for dws to go too.

[NCTraveler]

68. We deserve better.

I am not saying that in reference to her character. I am saying that in reference to her handling of the job. I know plenty of good people who aren't qualified or capable of handling a lot of things. People often like to read things like that as a blanket statement. There is a place for her in the party. It isn't where she is currently at.

[restorefreedom]

69. dean needs to come back

we need him.

[NCTraveler]

72. Great name to drop for this conversation.

While I have issues with Dean that are much different than those with DWS, he was stellar at the position. I would cheer that change on.

[restorefreedom]

74. yeahhhhh!!

[SusanCalvin]

135. Oh please! nt

[PoliticAverse]

42. I don't see any likelihood of Sanders being excluded from the debates.

It's likely just about the criteria for the lessor candidate cutoff. Also technically there are a lot more than "4 or 5", most
of these you've never heard of and rightly so.

[Buns_of_Fire]

45. I would think what they have to do is set the criteria NOW and announce it.

Let it be known that this is the criteria they're going to use, stick to it, and let the chips fall where they may.

Sadly, no matter what criteria they use, I doubt we'll get to see Vermin Supreme outline his zombie defense plan or Lee Mercer remind us that we don't want Jeb all in our houses with disease.

[PoliticAverse]

47. I think they do go through the list of candidates and try to make the criteria

so the cutoff is where they want it. They have incentive to wait as long as possible as candidates may still
enter the race (Joe Biden for example).

[Buns_of_Fire]

55. I'm sure that's probably pretty close to the way they do it.

I don't care for it, though. It seems undemocratic. It's like gerrymandering -- let's draw it out so the cool kids we WANT to join the club damned well GET to join the club. It just doesn't seem fair (but then, who said politics was fair?).

It just seems like such a no-brainer to me: "The official debates will consist of the top X candidates, based on DNC polling as of (pick whatever date you want)." There. No cutesy crap. Choose any number for X you want. If anyone wants to play coy and not announce until the week of the polling, that's fine -- but they'd better already have a decent following as an unannounced candidate, if they expect to participate in the first debate.

I know, too simple-minded. Which is why I'd never make it as a politician. Just as well, I suppose.

[JustAnotherGen]

44. That worries me

Sanders isn't my choice - but we need his voice in those debates.

[think]

46. Limiting it to 6 debates speaks volumes....................

[HereSince1628]

48. That would pretty clearly fracture the party and threaten its existence

DWS may be dumb enough to do such a thing in a vain attempt to protect the democratic establishment, but I suspect there are other heads who can clearly see the existential danger that presents to the party as a whole.

[Cosmocat]

62. I am not DWS fan

but, I can't fathom how the thought of purposely excluding Bernie would even enter ANYONE's mind, based on what you noted.

2007 was an extreme. They first primary debate was not until late October in 99. LONG before this primary started people were going to reign in the debates this year.

[mmonk]

65. True that.

2007 was just a media circus for the media.

[Freddie Stubbs]

49. You are crazy

I think that the much more likely scenario is excluding candidates who can't reach a certain threshold in the polls. I think that they are waiting to see how things play out with O'Malley, as most polls have him below 4%.

[mmonk]

56. Doubt it. Probably would cause rebellion in the party.

they will concentrate on limiting debate as much as possible as a framework.

[Cosmocat]

57. Your crazy

if you think there is some Machiavellian plot to exclude Bernie.

Do people not see how bad that would make Hillary and the party look?

THIS HAS BEEN THE PLAN ALL ALONG, well before Bernie announced two months ago.

2007 was a freakshow the debates and party operatives and leaders said at the time they were going to limit them this go around.

[restorefreedom]

67. my logical brain

tells me it would be insane to exclude him. otoh, we know there are some in dnc establishment that want to limit bernie's national exposure because his message is really resonating.

[mmonk]

71. True.

[Cosmocat]

96. Wtf would they want to do do that?

This party has been worthless the last 6 years, the "Bern" has put some much needed spark to it, while putting the party's policies, its strength back into focus.

Yeah, Hill is their horse, but it isnt the clinton party.

Bernie running for president has been the best thing that has happened to the party since bho decided to run for potus in 06/07.

The energy is great, but people need to find it within themselves to stay sane at the same time.

Bernie is good for the party. Let him do his thing, get behind him and see if he can beat the odds.

[restorefreedom]

98. i like the way you think

i guess time will tell.

go bernie!

[woodsprite]

79. Then all Dem candidates should refuse to participate

unless Bernie is included. After all, can't have a debate if none or only one person is on stage. If they all go along with this and exclude Bernie, I'm taking it as they don't want to face the real issues, which may push more people *TOWARD* Bernie without any true debates.

[redstateblues]

80. Paranoia strikes deep

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

82. I think somebody posted a link to the official registration page. There are more than 70

people supposedly registered as Democratic Presidential candidates, even though the rest are just random people that no one but their friends and family have ever heard of.

Found it.

http://www.fec.gov/press/resources/2016presidential_form2pty.shtml

Looks like 72 or so registered Democrats who filed to run.

I'm guessing they want to keep it down to the folks who are actually showing up on polls.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

84. The DNC has Bernie on their webpage. I thought "we were supposed to be the smart ones", smh.

https://www.democrats.org/

[Le Taz Hot]

91. If the DNC tries to redefine anything

WE are going to redefine the word "backlash." If they're thinking dirty tricks (ala, let's wait until the last minute to schedule debates "sometime in the Fall&quot they'll sink her campaign.

[Buns_of_Fire]

93. Not just Hillary's campaign -- they could sink the whole party.

I really don't think they're THAT stupid. At that point, why would anyone vote for EITHER the Democratic candidate OR the stupid-beyond-all-comprehension candidate? You can't run a national party based on "Vote for US -- We don't suck quite as bad as those other guys!"

DWS isn't trying to exclude anyone (except for those with 0.00000001% support, which sadly includes my favorite, Vermin Supreme). But I DO think she'll game the system as much as possible to favor her Best Friend Forever Hillary.

[JI7]

92. i think some people who claim to support Sanders want him excluded

So they can go on the martyr rants.

[Cosmocat]

94. I like Bernie a lot

A lot of his supporters here do more damage than good ...

[JI7]

95. i like him best out of those running so far

But i also recognize reality.

[Cosmocat]

97. Right?

[HFRN]

99. 'you have to be a registered democrat'---> yup, she might do that

because Berni would absolutely blow HRC out of the water in a debate

[PoliticAverse]

103. I remember how people said Gore would do that to Bush. n/t

[Renew Deal]

111. You must have forgotten 2008

[leveymg]

104. W-S will stay in her chair while the Democratic Party pulls itself apart.

She is really one of the least effective DNC leaders I can remember in a long time. If she does this or something uinderhanded like moving other states conventions onto the date of NH and IA, it's over, third party time for much of the Democratic Left.

[Thinkingabout]

107. What is intersting here is those who think the DNC is useless and worried the DNC

May omit Bernie from the DNC debates. If it I so useless why would Bernie be running in the DNC primary and if they are useless why not be happy if Bernie is omitted from their debates. Don't argue against the party your candidate decides to run, sounds like you are pushing a candidate in a "useless primary".

[Renew Deal]

109. It would be outrageous to exclude any of the current major candidates.

And there is no way they will exclude Sanders. Maybe Chaffee or Webb, but I would be against that.

[still_one]

127. So why is Bernie included from the Democratic party with the other Democrats?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=435999

I guess we have a lot of time on our hands to worry about something that isn't going to happen

Hell, it is more fun to stir up shit