Name nine people you want in the Democratic primary debates. I dare you

[MaxRobes]

Or name at least a few. Note this is also posted in the politics forum on the front page.

Hey, it is still only March, 2015. Let’s set aside for the moment the question of who will get our vote the first Tuesday in November, 2016 and let’s even set aside who will get our vote in the Democratic primary elections or caucuses in each state; plenty of time for all that. Instead let’s seriously consider who we would like to see in the Democratic Primary Debates. Now some may say we don’t want any damn debates. If you are one of those, go start your own thread. This is for those of us who think there is a real battle to be had over the very soul of the Democratic Party and we want to see substantive policy issues discussed openly, far and wide. So if this matters to you, please weigh in here. Who would you like to see in those debates? Let me begin.

There are three obvious choices that I believe will make most everyone’s list. I would simply like to see how these possible candidates present themselves in this forum.
Elizabeth Warren. I want her there. She can start off by saying “Don’t vote for me, I’m not running.” She should be there anyway. We all know why.
Bernie Sanders. I want to hear the old Socialist let’em have it with both barrels. That alone would be worth the price of admission.
Martin O’Malley. I don’t know much about him but I would like to. He might actually be electable as our VP nominee. That’s a little odd because most Dems don’t know him from Adam. Let’s fix that.

There are also three other folks who are certainly familiar if not obvious choices. I’ll call them the old guard. Here I am genuinely curious to know how these war horses assess the state of the nation and the state of democracy in America. I would like to see what direction they point and what pennants they fly.
Al Gore. He did win the popular vote in 2000 and he was right as rain about “The Inconvenient Truth.” He needs a chance to say, “I told you so”, and do it on a national stage. We need someone to champion the planet in these debates. Who better?

Howard Dean. Yah I know. “The Scream”. So what? He was right about the war in Iraq. He was right about the fifty state strategy. He is often right and reasonable on a wide range of other issues. His great mistake was to be four years ahead of the country. He knew in 2003 everything that was wrong with George Bush and his presidency. He had the courage to say it when few in the national spotlight dared to say it. It took the nation another four years to figure it all out. They’re slow learners. I’d like to remind folks of that by having Howard Dean on our debate stage.

John Kerry. John is a blow dried fluff ball but he looks like he should be president. I’m okay with him being there just to dress up the proceedings. It is also true that he is really being dragged through a knot hole in the Middle East as Secretary of State; he might surprise us and actually say something interesting.

Now I will go out on a limb and advocate two new names rarely heard that I feel belong on this debate stage. I happen to be from their home state. I am confident they would both hold there own.

Al Franken. Senator Al Franken. Newly re-elected and standing a little taller, he has the potential to bring a fresh outlook to the debate. He would attract younger viewers and happens to be a man of Jewish heritage not walking in lock step with AIPAC, Likud and Netanyahu. In short, he might be able to say things others on that stage dare not say.

Amy Klobuchar. This Minnesota Senator has one of the highest approval ratings in the Senate, is very well like and respected across Party lines, and has a winning communication style in her public appearances. Amy is baggage free. She would do well in these debates and she would wear well in the general election falderal, in my opinion. Full discloser, I am Amy’s local campaign manager though she doesn’t know that. She has never heard of me.

So by now someone is surely yelling, “What about Hillary?” Where is Hillary? Well okay. Yes, Hillary should be in these debates. I am also genuinely interested in learning where she hopes to take the nation and the Democratic Party. (Strange, isn’t it, we don’t know that, sitting here today?) My only suggestion in this case is that Bill also needs to be on that stage, sitting right behind Hillary, tied to his chair, with his mouth duct taped shut. That is, after all, what her presidency would look like on day one, should she win, until Bill pulls the tape off.

So there you have one potential set of debaters, nine in all. Well, nine and a half. So who are your nine? I demand to know. No shirking allowed.