Debbie Wassmerman Schultz is tripling down on her debate decision. In an interview with Andrea Mitchell today, she is happy that GOP is drowning out Dems in the media. You truly have to see this video to believe it.
And the DNC is sending out emails reminding Democratic voters to tune into the GOP debate. How tone deaf is Debbie and the DNC?
Debbie also says in the interview that she got input from others who had made these decisions and others before making the final decision and that we agreed that this was the best decision.
Two Vice Chairs of the DNC disagree:
Why Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and I, both DNC vice-chairs, believe we should have more debates:
We believe that the DNC’s decision to limit Presidential candidates to 6 debates, with a threat of exclusion for any candidate who participates in any non-DNC sanctioned debate, is a mistake. It limits the ability of the American people to benefit from a strong, transparent, vigorous debate between our Presidential candidates, as they make the important decision of who will be our Democratic Presidential nominee.
As vice chairs of the Democratic National Committee, we are calling for several more debates than the six currently scheduled, and withdrawing the proposed sanctions against candidates who choose to participate in non-DNC sanctioned debates. We also encourage the DNC to consider additional ways to jointly showcase our candidates across the country.
We are the party that represents democratic principles, openness and transparency, and ensuring that all people, regardless of who they are or where they are from, have a level playing field and equal opportunity.
By limiting Democratic debates to just six, more people will feel excluded from our political process, rather than included. As Democrats, we believe the more people are engaged in the process and the exchange of ideas, the better off we are as a nation.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and R.T. Rybak
Lastly, she says she made this decision to avoid the problems of 2008. 2008 was the most successful presidential campaign for the Dems in a generation. The debates were watched by millions. New voters became engaged and Obama ended up winning the general election by a huge margin. And now, Debbie wants to make sure we don't repeat that mistake.
And as a reminder, #AllowDebate is holding a rally tonight in front of DNC headquarters arguing for more debates. This rally will be for supporters of all of the candidates but staffers from Governor O'Malley's campaign will be attending the rally as well.