Tom Steyer Statement on DNC January Debate Rules

[brooklynite]

4President

(SAN FRANCISCO, December 4, 2019) — Today, Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer released the statement below — in anticipation of the release of the January debate rules — calling on the Democratic National Committee to ensure future debates include a wider field of candidates:

“Today, I’m calling on the DNC to open up the debate requirements for January so that more candidates can participate. One of the strengths of the Democratic Party is that it represents every community in our great nation. In order to defeat Donald Trump, Democrats need to engage voters from every part of the country, and that means making sure voters hear from a diverse group of candidates before they select our nominee. I know the party shares this goal, and I hope they’ll give voters one more opportunity to hear from more candidates before they cast ballots. This is more important than any one campaign — this is about finding the best candidate to represent our party and lead our country forward.”

[Moostache]

1. Swallow your pride, put away the checkbook and do some REAL work...

Tired of billionaires in general, but specifically sick of those pleading for special privilege because of their cash stash.

Tom? Michael? Either pound the pavement and establish a donor base like everyone else, or sit on the sidelines like everyone else. Now, piss off both of you.

[marble falls]

4. Bingo. Hey Steyer, stop positing that it takes a billionaire to break another "billionaire" ...

We don't need a hero billionaire, we need a President. The issue is not just about dumping Trump.

[CTyankee]

14. Well, if nothing else he is labeling Trump as a fraud and a liar. And he is using his money to get

that message out over and over again. We need to have that, don't we?

[customerserviceguy]

24. Everybody

on our side already knows that. The Trump-humpers won't listen, and the mushy middle doesn't want to think about politics until the weekend before the election.

[CTyankee]

29. even so, it's FREE for us. And our party coffers will not be depleted! Net PLUS, imo...

[marble falls]

28. Trumpsky is a failure and sham. No new news there, even most of his supporters know it ...

every Democrat sure does. It bothers me he thinks he can buy the Presidency just like Trump claimed he would do also.

Let him create jobs with dignity and benefits and stay out of government.

[MBS]

6. All I want for Christmas is for both of them to go away.

Patrick, too.

[StevieM]

19. Tom Steyer is a life long liberal who worked for Walter Mondale. Bloomberg supported Bush/Cheney

for re-election. I think it is very unfair to compare them to one another.

And Tom is already on the debate stage. He was trying to look out for the other candidates and say that they deserve a chance to debate too. He was being a good guy here.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

32. Thank you!

[flotsam]

2. What you said! N/T

[ritapria]

3. The Billionaire Class need representaion on the Debate Stage ?

Poor Steyer... .He is being oppressed

[TexasTowelie]

10. You're absolutely correct.

The Millionaire Class isn't getting enough attention from the corporate media monopoly. I'm still at a loss as to why Pete's numbers are going up though since he has the least net worth of any of the candidates on stage.

[StevieM]

18. He is already on the debate stage.

He was trying to be fair to the other candidates. He was saying that they should be allowed to participate as well.

Tom was being a good guy here.

[Uncle Joe]

20. I would be okay with that if they had it on two nights

but too many candidates on one night and it really doesn't leave much time for actual debate.

[StevieM]

21. Agreed. They should be having two nights of debates.

It was especially ridiculous to have a 12 candidate debate, rather than just split it up into two nights with 6 candidates on each night. The network was already prepared to do two nights, and we had done two nights before. So that was a terrible decision by Tom Perez.

[MBS]

5. More candidates on the debate stage is the LAST thing we need.

GRR.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Terrible precedent if the DNC caves on this

[oasis]

8. Seize every opportunity. I guess that's how Tom got to be a billionaire.

[TwilightZone]

9. There are literally 296 registered candidates for POTUS on the Democratic side.

We have to draw a line somewhere. Perhaps Mr. Steyer should provide some specifics.

https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_candidates,_2020#Potential_Democratic_presidential_candidates

[squirecam]

11. Nope

No thanks. Earn your way on like everyone else.

[AZ8theist]

12. I'm sorry, but I heard Tom on the Dean Obeidallah show a few days ago...

And I like what I heard. Breaking up the corporate monopolies, his focus on Doturds criminality and removal, higher taxes for the rich (including himself). I think he's worth at least listening to....

[JudyM]

15. Liz and Bernie are pushing for those items too.

[CTyankee]

30. Exactly! Let Steyer pay to have their message promoted in TV ads!

[brooklynite]

13. I'll be at the Debate in Los Angeles and will likely run into Perez...

...what should the January threshold be?

[customerserviceguy]

26. If it's at five percent

in four qualifying polls, that should weed out the vanity candidates.

[redqueen]

16. I'll bet he does. I read that he met the donor threshold by selling impeachment merch

with his name shown in very small lettering.

I can't find a source for the claim but if true my respect for him will go to 0.

[StevieM]

17. Steyer made the debate stage and now he is asking that in future debates other candidates also

be given the opportunity to reach the voters.

He isn't looking out for himself, he is looking out for his fellow Democrats. He is being a good guy here.

[redqueen]

25. With as much complaining about how lower polling candidates shouldn't be on the stage,

I'm shocked to find that sentiment here.

[tritsofme]

22. Perhaps no campaign has been a bigger waste of time and money than Steyer.

[Amishman]

23. Bloomberg says hold my Big Gulp

No billionaires. Just go away, all of you.

[customerserviceguy]

27. The people who sell political advertising

simply love it when a rich fool and his money are soon parted.

[Amishman]

31. Unfortunately, air time in key areas is a finite resource

If Bloomberg does ad buys in the levels he is threatening, it will drive up costs for the other campaigns.

He ends up hurting us overall by causing more funds to be expended in the primaries and not against Trump

[customerserviceguy]

34. True

And he doesn't care.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

33. Tom Delaney

He's done everything right on paper, and has a lot of his own funds to spend. But he is failing to make a dent in Iowa despite leaving congress to start campaigning there in 2017.

If you were doing waste of time/money vs. pre-announcement expectations, Harris, with Booker being a close runner up. I think most pundits figured them to be in the race to the convention. Booker is barely hanging in, and Harris is gone.