The Hillary Debate Scandal?

[heyjude]

Another thing popping up with all my Berners in my life (and I have a ton, or maybe not and it just feels like a ton given how much they post about BS) is the fact that HRC will only do 6 debates when Bernie will do a million. And this is HRC silencing Bernie. (Can you feel my eye roll?)

But some questions:

- Doesn't the DNC establish the debate schedule? How is his HRC's fault?
- Why on earth is SIX primary debates not enough?
- Is this less than or typical for the DNC in a given POTUS primary?
- How many debates are the Rs doing? Good lord isn't TWO enough with that crowd?
- Finally what makes Bernie people think he would be at an advantage if he got to debate HRC more than 6 times? And what is the acceptable number for him?

[WanderingWinoZ]

yea, of all the things to attack her on that's a silly one.
Seems normal to me.

[josieposy]

I don't know that the American public even wants to watch 6 from any party.

[jeaniebueller]

According to Bernie's website, its 4 debates and he wants everyone to sign his petition to do a gazillion:

go.berniesanders.com/page/s/more-debates

I think its just something that the person who is not leading likes to ask the frontrunner. Hillary asked Pres Obama to do more debates in 2008 as well.

[heyjude]

Sept 23, 2015 14:27:12 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

According to Bernie's website, its 4 debates and he wants everyone to sign his petition to do a gazillion:

go.berniesanders.com/page/s/more-debates

I think its just something that the person who is not leading likes to ask the frontrunner. Hillary asked Pres Obama to do more debates in 2008 as well.

I was just coming to post this. Why on earth should there be MORE THAN 4 debates before IOWA?!

His petition is disengenious even. He makes it sound as if there will only be 4.

[ESF]

Yeah, this is silly. DNC set 6 debates, and said that candidates could not participate in unauthorized DNC debates, so I don't think Bernie is doing more. I think it's typical to have a limited number of set debates, but what is atypical is the rule preventing them from going to unauthorized debates. That's why the anti-HRC crowd feels like the DNC stacked the deck in her favor, because it prevents them from getting more airtime in unofficial debates.

My understanding is that the DNC made the rule to prevent the Democratic primary from turning into a circus. Apparently there were a zillion unauthorized debates last time, and it created a lot of drama over the various candidates being pressured into attending them, plus it can create minefields that hurt the Democrats in the general. Let's say the Rotary Club of the state of Wyoming wants to hold a debate, and Bernie agrees to attend. Then the other candidates have to do it or they look bad, and suddenly the Democrats are on national TV talking about guns to a state that is never going to vote for them in the national, and taking time away from their normal campaign activities and working on building coalitions that will help them win.

I think the Republicans have 9 official debates. Not sure if they have a rule against unofficial ones.

Sure, more debates helps a candidate with less funds since they get tons of free airtime to sell their message, so I get why the Berners are annoyed, but the idea that this is some kind of Clinton conspiracy is absurd.

[msmerymac]

I actually heard that Debbie Wasserman Schultz was being criticized for setting the number of debates low, and that there are usually more. And the GOP is having like a bazillion, but that's their own fault.

So yeah. It's fewer than normal, but it's the DNC's decision.

[ESF]

The people pissed about this are probably the same people who think there is no difference between Hillary and a Republican.

More debates is not good for the party. A socialist of all people should understand that the cap is for the common good.

[pixy0stix]

The important question is (and I'm too lazy to look it up now), when is the first debate? And how many participants? 3?

[josieposy]

Sept 23, 2015 14:43:55 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

The important question is (and I'm too lazy to look it up now), when is the first debate? And how many participants? 3?

October 13. Still 5 candidates to my knowledge, though I always forget at least one.

[ESF]

Sept 23, 2015 14:43:55 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

The important question is (and I'm too lazy to look it up now), when is the first debate? And how many participants? 3?

October 13.

I think the candidates are HRC, Sanders, O'Malley, Lincoln Chafee, and Jim Webb. 

[pixy0stix]

Sept 23, 2015 14:46:31 GMT -5 josieposy said:

Sept 23, 2015 14:43:55 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

The important question is (and I'm too lazy to look it up now), when is the first debate? And how many participants? 3?

October 13. Still 5 candidates to my knowledge, though I always forget at least one.

How the hell are there 5?! I was happy I remembered the guy that no one remembers.

[josieposy]

Chafee! That's the one I always forget.

[Deleted]

A debate is cheaper for a candidate than one :30 commercial? Just speculating.

[heyjude]

At some point you are going to have diminishing returns. 6 debates between HRC and BS during a primary is a lot. How much more effective will 8 be?

[tacosforlife]

According to Wikipedia, there were 17 (!!!) Democratic primary debates PRIOR TO THE IOWA CAUCUS in 2008. Three things: 1) They started in April, 2) there were 8 candidates, and 3) that is fucking insane.

HOWEVER, from between October 1 and Iowa, there were 4 debates. So um, yeah, there we are.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_presidential_debates,_2008

[pixy0stix]

Why do I not remember all the debates in 2008? Were they televised?

[jeaniebueller]

By the way, I realized that young Bernie supporters annoy me to some extent just because they act like they are the first people EVAR to get excited about a candidate. Hi, I remember Howard Dean and Ralph Nader. We've done this before.

[josieposy]

I'll be honest, the only past debates I remember were the ones where Perry forgot the three departments, the one where Biden said "MALARKEY!", and the one where McCain wandered around the stage.

[tacosforlife]

Sept 23, 2015 14:59:26 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Why do I not remember all the debates in 2008? Were they televised?

I don't remember them, either. But I just chalk that up to getting old and 2008 feeling like a lifetime ago.

[pixy0stix]

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:12 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I'll be honest, the only past debates I remember were the ones where Perry forgot the three departments, the one where Biden said "MALARKEY!", and the one where McCain wandered around the stage.

BIDEN FOR VP 4EVAH!

[ESF]

Sept 23, 2015 14:59:26 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Why do I not remember all the debates in 2008? Were they televised?

I think most were on MSNBC, and I don't think every cable provider carried it then, and it may not have been streaming them.

[jeaniebueller]

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:12 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I'll be honest, the only past debates I remember were the ones where Perry forgot the three departments, the one where Biden said "MALARKEY!", and the one where McCain wandered around the stage.

McCain did that too? I thought it was Al Gore who wandered around the stage.

[tacosforlife]

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:19 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

By the way, I realized that young Bernie supporters annoy me to some extent just because they act like they are the first people EVAR to get excited about a candidate. Hi, I remember Howard Dean and Ralph Nader. We've done this before.

LOL! YES!

I feel like the time those undergrads from another school snuck into our student section at the football game, only to end up in the grad student section and wonder why the fuck we were so lame. I was like, "WE ARE OLD AND JADED AND WE ARE TIRED BECAUSE WE GOT UP EARLY TO STUDY BEFORE THE GAME. SIMMER DOWN, YOUNG GRASSHOPPERS!"

Young Berners are THOSE guys.

[josieposy]

Sept 23, 2015 15:05:13 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:12 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I'll be honest, the only past debates I remember were the ones where Perry forgot the three departments, the one where Biden said "MALARKEY!", and the one where McCain wandered around the stage.

McCain did that too? I thought it was Al Gore who wandered around the stage.

Oh it happened. SNL did a great parody of it where McCain just wandered in front of the camera at random.

[CallingAllAngels]

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:12 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I'll be honest, the only past debates I remember were the ones where Perry forgot the three departments, the one where Biden said "MALARKEY!", and the one where McCain wandered around the stage.

I remember when Sarah Palin asked Biden, "Can I call you Joe? 'Cause I practiced some zingers where I call you Joe?"

Or maybe that was Tina Fey on SNL. 

[heyjude]

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:19 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

By the way, I realized that young Bernie supporters annoy me to some extent just because they act like they are the first people EVAR to get excited about a candidate. Hi, I remember Howard Dean and Ralph Nader. We've done this before.

Not to mention: OBAMA!!!!

Sit down <22 year olds.

Get back to me when POTUS Bernie cuts a deal with the Rs that is totes OMG the end!!!!!! Then we can talk about candidate fever.

[mcsangel2]

Sept 23, 2015 15:07:54 GMT -5 CallingAllAngels said:

Sept 23, 2015 15:02:12 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I'll be honest, the only past debates I remember were the ones where Perry forgot the three departments, the one where Biden said "MALARKEY!", and the one where McCain wandered around the stage.

I remember when Sarah Palin asked Biden, "Can I call you Joe? 'Cause I practiced some zingers where I call you Joe?"

Or maybe that was Tina Fey on SNL. 

Yeah, I remember when she was trying to be all palsy like that. "Game Change" depicted the reason for that being that Sarah kept calling him "Joe O'Biden" in debate practice.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

If you can't convey your platform in 4/6 debates with 5 people, you might need to work on focus.

[msmerymac]

Sept 23, 2015 14:40:59 GMT -5 ESF said:

The people pissed about this are probably the same people who think there is no difference between Hillary and a Republican.

More debates is not good for the party. A socialist of all people should understand that the cap is for the common good.

I don't disagree with your overall point, but how is waiting for the general election more helpful than hashing out policies and positions in the primary?