2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Democrats Stifle Their Message - The Editorial Board/USAToday [View all]Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)Yes, they both expressed displeasure, but they could have done (and could still do) more. Once Chafee and Webb dropped out, O'Malley and Sanders were Clinton's only remaining opponents. If the two of them were to accept a debate invitation from a college or a union or the like, would the DNC adhere to excluding them from the officially sanctioned debates? That would leave those debates as Hillary press conferences. Faced with that prospect, even DWS might back down -- and if she didn't, she might face a revolt within the DNC.
An added twist, for any O'Malley or Sanders staffers reading DU: How about accepting a debate with the usual suspects from the journalism community as panelists, but the nonprofit sponsoring organization charges $25 per ticket for audience members, and donates the proceeds to a community food bank, or maybe to the American Red Cross for disaster relief in the region where the debate is held. So, Debbie, you want to punish two of the candidates for helping people in need?