The requirements for the debate turned into a hot mess and it was to some extent predictable

[dsc]

First, let me admit that these requirements likely helped Pete. I think the type of people who favor him are used to giving money and were willing to do so to get him a place on the stage. He then made the most of that, to be sure. But the requirements have totally come back to bite us on the butt.

First, you had some candidates who were getting money from donors that were not exactly Democratic voters (Gabbard and to a lesser extent Yang). Then you had candidates who clearly should have been on early debate stages (two term gov of Montana, Colorado, and Washington) who either barely made it or didn't make it. Now you have a candidate who is polling in 2nd place nationally on the strength of his ad campaign who might get to avoid the state because there aren't enough polls being done. He would have been off outright if the donor requirement had been kept. This is crazy. We outsourced our debate stage to the media and to donors who may well be trolls. I admit to not knowing the solution to the debate problem when you have dozens of potentially viable candidates but I do know this wasn't it.