Debates doing the work of the gop.

[Jakes Progress]

On the night of the first debate, when they introduced the candidates, I was so happy that we had such a dignified and qualified field to put forth. But beginning then, and continuing through each debate that followed, it seemed that the script was written by the gop to help divide and tear down Democratic candidates for president.

I know that people say that is what a primary and debates are for - to toughen and hone the list down to the best. But it doesn't. Each candidate is weaker now than they were before the debates began. Most of that weakening has been done by other Democratic candidates. The primaries and debates are not bringing out the best - they are doing the republican's work for them. Just look at the headlines for the debates. "Klobuchar nails Biden" "Bernie attacks Buttigieg". It just goes on.

Here on DU, all the claims of unity are ringing hollow.

This is not a normal election. This was when the party needed to come together. This is when personal political ambition should have given way to a combined purpose. How can Biden support Warren if she is the nominee without the press putting every negative thing he has said about her plans in the story? How can Warren support Bernie or vice versa without their arguments showing up? Repeat the same thing for any two candidates on the stage.

Not to mentions that hundreds of millions in campaign funds have been spent fighting each other instead of the orange ass. While he rolls in the extorted funds of the Republican Party, our donors are bled dry in a fight between ourselves.

How have we managed to fuck this up so badly?

[Iliyah]

1. We are siblings . . .

But as a family, we will come together.

Republicans are mindless trolls who worship their evil leader.

[Jakes Progress]

2. Families don't always come together.

Many are split on arguments from important to trivial.

Trolls always line up to vote.

[Voltaire2]

3. The food fight didn't hurt Trump one bit.

The 2016 Republican primaries were a shitshow that made the Clinton Sanders race look like a tea party at a croquet match

[Jakes Progress]

4. It helped him. It diminished all of the other candidates.

In your scenario, who is our "trump"?

[Voltaire2]

5. We don't have one. We aren't rightwing authoritarians.

Our debates are tame by comparison. My point is that it is not a big deal.

[Jakes Progress]

8. No. You said that the contentious republican debates

didn't hurt trump one bit.

So which Democratic candidate hasn't been hurt one bit by this series of debates?

[Voltaire2]

10. All of them.

As far as I can tell the debates don’t matter.

[Jakes Progress]

13. If you really think that,

if you really don't see what is happening, we can just disagree.

I think to believe that russia has no interest in the primaries and that these debates are not weakening the chances of winning the general election is very naive.

[Voltaire2]

14. Ah now it's puppet master Putin at work.

I see. Ok then.

[unitedwethrive]

6. I was thinking the same thing. Why are the Dems doing this to themselves?!

How about more town hall type interviews that focus on each candidate?

[Jakes Progress]

9. I think it is a reality tv thing.

The media are ratings whores, just like our orange leader. They want candidates pitted against each other for drama. At first the candidates seemed to want to resist this. But a few were only too happy to trash and attack the others. Then it became the free-for-all that the media loves.

It he DNC had better leadership, the candidates could have all been warned and coached against media influence.

[Codeine]

7. Most primary campaigns aren't this divisive.

This one is, as was the last. What is the single common element present in these that wasn’t there before?

[Voltaire2]

12. 2016 2008 2004

All were just as divisive. The 2008 primary was far worse than 2016 or 2020 (so far).

[Jakes Progress]

15. No.

2008 was not as destructive. Hillary ran against Barack and then campaigned for him because she hadn't said anything in the primary that would preclude her doing so. Obama thought so too.

That is not the case here.

[Voltaire2]

16. Puma was a real thing.

And Clinton supporters failed to vote for the nominee at a significantly higher rate than Sanders supporters in 2016.

[Codeine]

17. Wasn't even close.

DU didn’t tear itself apart in 2008; not even close.

[Voltaire2]

18. The rest of the internets was a mess.

I guess it must have been all unicorns and roses here.

[Garrett78]

11. This happens every primary season. 2016, 2008, 2004, 2000, etc.