Who's in -- and out -- of the first Democratic debates

[brooklynite]

Politico

The 13 candidates who can book their tickets to Miami include the race’s top figures. Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and Julian Castro are the top-polling candidates; following a random drawing, they will be split across the two nights, with five on one night and four on the other.

But also meeting both the polling and fundraising thresholds are Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee and two lesser-known figures: Marianne Willamson, best known for authoring spiritual, self-help books, and Andrew Yang, a first-time candidate who wears a baseball cap that says “MATH” on the front as he touts his proposal for a universal basic income.

After those 13 candidates, the rest of the field gets murky. According to a POLITICO analysis, an additional seven candidates have hit the polling threshold: Michael Bennet, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, Kirsten Gillibrand, John Hickenlooper, Tim Ryan and Eric Swalwell.

That list does not include Bullock — who POLITICO has previously believed to have qualified. On Thursday, the DNC told POLITICO that a pair of Washington Post/ABC News polls would not be considered eligible polls that candidates can use to qualify. One of the three polls Bullock would have relied on to qualify was a Post/ABC poll taken in January.

[Sherman A1]

1. Looking forward to seeing and hearing

These debates.

[Funtatlaguy]

2. Of the top 9, which do you want on stage together?

Here’s what I hope the random draw yields:

Night One:
Biden
Warren
Buttigieg
Booker
Castro

Night Two:
Sanders
Harris
Klobuchar
O’Rourke

What would you like to see?

[JudyM]

9. I'd like Warren, Sanders, Biden and Buttigieg on the same stage.

[Qutzupalotl]

3. I'm just glad Inslee made it.

That means we’re almost guaranteed one question about climate change, so maybe we can save the planet.

[brooklynite]

4. I wouldn't assume an environmental question based on one candidate's campaign strategy...

...any more than I would assume a question about UBI.

[Funtatlaguy]

5. Inslee will bring up climate change if not asked.

He could do it in his opening or closing statement.

[brooklynite]

6. I wouldn't expect statements either...

...with a 2 hour window and allowances for commericals, etc. I'm guessing each candidate will get (if evenly allocated) a max of 10 minutes.

[Funtatlaguy]

8. I see your point. Maybe they get one or the other.

30 second opening or closing statements.

[Qutzupalotl]

7. I hope they do ask about UBI, even though I don't support it.

We should hear about each candidate’s signature issue so we can hash it out.

But everybody’s got to breathe, and that’s getting harder with so much of the West on fire every year.

[Jose Garcia]

10. It appears that Bullock waited too late to jump in