SIGN THE PETITION: More debates = Democrats win the White House

[elleng]

The first Democratic Party presidential debate is coming up on Tuesday, October 13, and a big fight is brewing inside the party -- but it's an issue that actually effects all Americans:

How many debates will happen BEFORE voters go to the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire?

Right now, the answer is four -- of which two are scheduled on Saturday nights and three on weekends (including a holiday weekend). The total number of debates? Six.

All of the leading candidates in the Democratic primary -- Sec. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Gov. Martin O'Malley -- have said directly or through their spokespeople that they are open to more debates. Yet the Democratic National Committee (DNC) refuses to let them participate.

With Republican debates dominating the airwaves, the DNC should not be standing in the way of more Democratic presidential debates. Will you sign our petition right now telling the DNC to lift their restrictions and let the candidates debate?

Here at Democracy for America, we believe that contested primaries make the Democratic Party stronger. The open exchange of ideas that happens during public primary debates helps prepare Democratic candidates to run tough, smart campaigns that win.

Over the course of the 2008 presidential primary race, the Democratic candidates debated each other 26 times. These debates drew intense media attention, gave primary voters and the public at large the opportunity to hear our candidates' positions in detail -- and led to a fantastically successful election year for Democrats.

But this year, not only has the DNC limited the number of official debates to six -- they've tacked on an "exclusivity clause" that would ban any candidate who participates in a non-sanctioned forum from participating in the remainder of the debates.

While Democratic candidates have been sitting on the sidelines, early Republican debates in August and September have allowed Republicans to take control over our national conversation.

Tens of millions of viewers nationwide have watched the GOP candidates discuss border walls and defunding Planned Parenthood. But we're not hearing anything about progressive ideas like expanding Social Security and debt-free college -- because Democrats aren't forcing the media to talk about our values.

We cannot let the DNC continue to hurt the prospects of our eventual Democratic nominee by keeping progressive ideas out of the spotlight. Tell the DNC to stop standing in the way of our candidates -- drop the exclusivity rule now and let them debate!

Thanks for standing up for a more fair and democratic primary process.

- Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Executive Director
Democracy for America

http://act.democracyforamerica.com/sign/DNC_primary_debates/?t=2&akid=6757.1085091.LiexwW

[RGinNJ]

1. Signed

[restorefreedom]

2. actually, those four

are the only ones really "scheduled," since ms inevitable thought she would not have to go through the drudgery of six whole debates.

and dws is trying to enforce a completely undemocratic stranglehold on the candidates.

this is so undemocratic it makes me ill

[magical thyme]

3. signed.

[ornotna]

4. Done n/t

[pacalo]

5. Done.

[Wilms]

6. ^