Supporters of the trailing candidate like to frame these questions as a matter of political courage

[Henhouse]

Bernie Sanders Challenges Hillary Clinton To A Debate In New York
By Jason Easley on Sun, Mar 27th, 2016 at 1:30 pm


Sen. Bernie Sanders is challenging Hillary Clinton to debate him in New York before the state's primary on April 19.

The Sanders campaign thinks that they have a shot at winning New York, and they would like a chance to debate former Sec. of State Clinton ahead of the state’s primary. Frontrunners don’t like debates. Clinton really doesn’t need the debate in New York, so it is easy to see why her campaign would not be interested in the Sanders proposal...

Supporters of the trailing candidate like to frame these questions as a matter of political courage or cowardice, but the truth is that no frontrunner in any election likes additional debates. Debates always benefit the challenger more. That being said, the April Democratic primary debate will likely end up in Wisconsin, New York or Pennsylvania.

Bernie Sanders is pressing hard, but Hillary Clinton has little to gain by debating in New York.

[Trenzalore]

1. Losing candidates complain about two things rather consistently

1) How the media treats them.
2) Number of debates they have had with their opponent.

[Henhouse]

4. Agreed...

And that is true of party nominations and general elections.

[Luminous Animal]

7. Hillary has already agreed to 2 more debates. It is now a matter of

negotiating where and when.

[tk2kewl]

2. this isn't "any election"

[Hoyt]

3. Actually, very similar to McGovern and a few other Democrats who lost in landslides.

[islandmkl]

10. not unlike the 2010 and 2014 midterms, right?

fucking Third Way/DLC/DNC politics...

[Punkingal]

5. Hillary agreed to additional debates when she thought she was going to lose NH.

They all play the same game.

[99th_Monkey]

6. Hillary's running scared now, with nowhere to go but down down down .. nt

[cloudythescribbler]

8. the Democrats have had many fewer debates than in 08 or than the GOP 2016

This kind of snarky observation, that Bernie's supporters (which includes me) are somehow less than totally reasonable to call for further debates, begs the question of whether the number of Democratic debates have been too much already, or whether there SHOULD be an April debate. It is sort of a red-herriing where a nationally televised debate in April is located, but NY was the logical suggestion as it is the largest contest during the month.

There haven't been nearly as many as there were in 2008 on the Democratic side as Obama didn't try to shut out the public conversation, but this year not only have the number of debates been slashed, but they are often scheduled at times that could only be designed to minimize public viewership.

By looking at the issue only in terms of what a frontrunner has to gain or lose, rather than what the public has to gain or lose, the whole issue is trivialized. Again, if Hillary says OK to a debate in PA, but a reasonable amount of time before the NY primary, that's great. But what the OP does acknowledge implicitly is that such a debate in PA, or WI, isn't really in Hillary's interest either, and that she should be expected by an accomodating public to only seek debates when they are in her campaign interest.

Bernie has every reason and right to seek further televised debates, and it is unconscionable that the DNC weighs in so consistently as an arm of Hillary's campaign.

BTW I am NOT a Bernie-or-Buster. I think that an open and transparent process -- WITHOUT "closed" primaries (or "closed" caucuses either) -- is the minimum that voters should demand. And Hillary seems to have come out OK after the pre-Ohio debates. I sure hope the MSM has the YES, political courage to push for at least one televised debate in April and at least one more in May. The country deserves no less

I am also making a point in EVERY primary thread I comment on that DUers should devote no less than 20% of the time and money focused on the clashes in the presidential primaries on ousting the GOP in both Houses of Congress. The thread I started on that point sank like a stone -- not enough focused on the clash that interests more posters

[Broward]

9. Bernie should not endorse her if she's the nominee

if she goes back on her word re: debates.

[libtodeath]

11. Why is she afraid?