Sanders: DNC using debates to rig primary

[Bubzer]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) believes the Democratic Party is using its limited primary debate schedule to rig the nomination process.

“I do,” Sanders reportedly responded when asked Friday whether he agrees with former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s assertion that the debate system is “rigged.”

The two Democratic presidential candidates were speaking at the summer meeting of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in Minneapolis on Friday.

“This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before,” O’Malley said in his speech earlier Friday.

The DNC has drawn criticism for scheduling only four debates before the early-primary states cast their votes, and six total throughout the election cycle.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/252227-sanders-dnc-using-debates-to-rig-primary

[HereSince1628]

1. Actually the question had 2 parts, Sanders seemed uninterested in the first part

which was the primary rigging, but perked up at the second part which was about hurting the democratic primary

Watching the video it seemed "I do" was about the hurting of the democratic primary

[hootinholler]

5. Please do you have a link to the whole thing

As far as I can tell the whole article is based on a random assertion in a tweet.

[HereSince1628]

6. No link, but I think I saw it on CNN.

[Andy823]

2. Great, he agrees with O'Malley

What next? I think the two of them should get together and stand side by side on this issue or more debates. If the DNC doesn't want so sponsor them, fine, but let the candidates decide on how many, and where to have them, not the head of the DNC. The exclusion clause saying anyone that does any other debate besides the ones for the DNC will be banned from further debates is just plain asinine, and should be done away with.

[Le Taz Hot]

12. You know what I would like to see?

ALL of the Democratic candidates agree to debate without the DNC. The only one NOT participating would be Hillary. How many people do you think would tune in to hear Hillary drone on for an hour? I'm thinking not many.

[Andy823]

20. Good idea

I think O'Malley is ready to do just that, but he needs the support of Sanders. Bernie has to join O'Malley on this issue in order to change the BS from the DNC,

[Le Taz Hot]

21. All 4 of them need to agree.

I think Bernie is TRYING to work within the DNC rules but as a lifelong independent, I think he's chafing at the collar at these constraints. I would love to see all 4 of them decide, yes, we're going to go to the League of Women Voters and have them set up a series of debates. THAT would get a much wider audience than these farces that pass as debates today.

[Vincardog]

14. plain asinine and unenforceable

[pinebox]

34. Defection time

Sanders, O'Malley, Webb and Chafee should all say screw the DNC and have debates among themselves. That would leave HRC basically debating herself which would be nothing but a Hillary interview that nobody would bother to watch

[LWolf]

3. Interesting.

One thread gets hidden, another pops up.

I'll just repeat my original response:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=556132

[artislife]

4. Heck, I will quote you!

Interesting headline. Interesting that only one is singled out for the headline, and for your OP, despite the fact that the "rigged" statement actually originated with someone else.

Oh yes!!

[Bonobo]

9. You nailed it. Bernie's response to this was one word: "Yes"

Why is HE being tied to the "rigged" claim when it was O'Malley who said it?

It's like slanted journalism executed by a 2nd grader...

[Puzzledtraveller]

7. Democracy

in America, and it will be lauded by many. Not surprising since our culture has become so corporatist minded, when you can rig things in your favor by muscle alone it is seen as a virtue. We learned well from republicans it seems.

[Luminous Animal]

8. Hmmmm. I wonder if O'Malley agrees? Oh wait! He said it first! It seems that both

Hillary supporters on DU and the MSM are erasing O'Malley from the news.

Personally, I think O'Malley would make a good "Harry Hopkins" (sometimes known as FDR's Deputy President) to the Sanders Admin.

[JDPriestly]

16. I'm a Sanders supporter, but I hope that when Sanders is president, O'Malley will play a role

in the administration. O'Malley will also make a good president when his time comes. He is also very sincere from what I can tell.

And it took real courage to dress down the DNC as he did at the meeting.

The DNC deserves it.

I got to see Sanders speak, but I want to watch more debates. They are cheating me and other politically aware people.

[Bubzer]

24. Sadly, I haven't seen much regarding O'Malley, but what I have seen makes me agree.

O'Malley seems like an upstanding person. We need more of that in congress... and a whole lot less of the back-room-deal types.

[JDPriestly]

32. Yes.

[artislife]

10. This takes us back to 2008 to when H was begging for more debates

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/29/1416509/-Hillary-Clinton-Calls-for-More-Debates-Is-the-DNC-Listening#

After 21 debates through early April, Hillary Clinton launches an official petition on her campaign website encouraging all her supporters to push her rival for another debate, emphasizing how critical regionalized debates are to hearing out concerns of rural Democrats:

Senator Clinton has shown she's committed to hearing from voters across the Tar Heel State. That's why she accepted a North Carolina debate.
On Monday, April 21, the debate was cancelled because Senator Obama refused to make time in his schedule. On April 23 he brushed off North Carolinians again saying, "It's not clear that another debate is going to be the best use of our time."

Tell Senator Obama that having a debate in North Carolina is important to you. Add your name. Make your voice heard.

Uh hem....

[RobertEarl]

11. Awww.....geez

That does not make Hillary look good at all these days. Bummer.

[wendylaroux]

28. love your sig line!!

the people here know the best candidate,don't they?

[RobertEarl]

33. Hail Sid!

He is the one to thank for that great graphic representation of the Truth!

Sid knows. Hail Sid!

[cantbeserious]

13. Duplicity - Thy Name Is HRC

eom

[moobu2]

15. Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley are way way behind Hillary Clinton

What do you expect. They're just grasping at straws.

[JDPriestly]

17. Bernie is not that far behind Hillary when you put Biden in the mix.

To me, the Biden vote consists for the most part of the people who really don't want to vote for Hillary because they don't like her but who are afraid to vote for Sanders because they have convinced themselves that he can't win.

Those are precisely the voters we Bernie supporters want and need to reach. They are willing and want to vote for someone other than Hillary but incorrectly think that Bernie can't win.

Bernie can win. No question in my mind.

14 debates by April in 2008. And only six planned for the entire campaign this year?

Something stinks at the DNC.

[HappyPlace]

19. At this point in 2007 there had been 9 debates, out of a total 26.

That's fucked up.

[wendylaroux]

26. And just think,

there has been no debates so far, and Bernie is still keeping up with Obama's poll numbers, as of this time 2007. As of yesterday, Bernie is only 7 points short in Iowa state polls. The question remains,by what means does Bernie make these strides, due to his own merits or the demerits of Hillary?

[HappyPlace]

30. Both. And Bernie has no ceiling

Hillary has hit hers

[SoapBox]

18. Warning! Objects may be closer than they appear!

Iowa: HRC...first time to fall under 50%, now at 37%.



(Ditto to JDP...something really smells and it's coming from the DNC, DWS and HRC.)

[Bubzer]

25. True, Sanders and O'Malley are polling lower than Hillary.

Polling trends have been awfully consistent though, with Hillary's numbers on a steady decline and Bernie's numbers steadily growing.

[reddread]

31. Id like to think this is about the US voter, not the presumed favorites best chance

seriously, is there any further to fall?

[Zorra]

22. Of course the DNC is rigging the nomination process. They are cheating, just like republicans.

The agenda of the DNC is to ensure that Bernie Sanders has no chance of becoming POTUS.

The DNC really doesn't care if a republican or a Democrat is elected POTUS, as long as whoever is elected will do what they are told, and loyally serve the interests of oligarchy to the best of their ability.

And they know that Bernie will never be the oligarchs obedient little poodle.

[Bubzer]

29. +1

[mylye2222]

27. Kudos to both Bernie and O'Malley.

This is nothing but truthfull.