I just received an email from Bernie Sanders about last nights GOP debate and the need for more Democratic debates. He has started a petition to Hillary Clinton asking her to support more debates and ask the DNC to lift the restriction that forbids candidates from appearing in any debate not sanctioned by the DNC.
He had this to say about the republican debate:
But in the entire time I watched, I saw very little discussion about the issues important to most American families. There was no talk about climate change and clean energy, raising wages and providing healthcare for all Americans, criminal justice reform and the undermining of the Voting Rights Act, and nothing at all about the crushing burden of student debt.
And when they did talk about campaign finance reform and the billionaire class buying candidates and elections, it was the butt of a Donald Trump joke.
And he had this to say about the Democratic Primary debates:
We need to be discussing issues facing working families at a debate hosted by trade unions. We need to discussing climate change and environmental issues at a forum hosted by the environmental community. We need to be discussing civil rights issues and racial injustice at a forum sponsored by civil rights groups. We need to be discussing gay rights at a forum hosted by the LGBT community. In other words, more discussion, more debate is good for the Democratic Party and good for the American people.
I know, and you know, that the best chance for this country is to discuss the issues that matter. Republicans aren’t going to do it, so we need more Democratic debates — more than the four scheduled by the Democratic National Committee before the Iowa Caucuses.
And I know that if Secretary Clinton wants more debates, we’ll get them.
The American people deserve more debates — debates about how we got to where we are today, and how we move this country forward. And if all the candidates running for the Democratic nomination, especially Secretary Clinton, call for more, then we’ll get them.
Bernie Sanders wants the DNC to lift the restrictions on candidates only appearing in party sanctioned debates. He wants to allow unions, environmental groups, civil rights groups and others to hold their own Democratic debates without the candidates being held hostage by the DNC.
According to FiveThirtyEight.com six is the lowest number of debates we have had since sometime before 1984. In past open contest primaries, we have had an average of more than 15 debates.
1984 11 debates
1988 22 debates
1992 12 debates
2000 9 debates
2004 15 debates
2008 25 debates
Just yesterday the DNC finally released a schedule for the 2016 Democratic Primary Debates. If this schedule represents the only debates our party will have, we will only 4 debates before the Iowa Caucus. And we won't see our first debate until October 13th, 2015, more than two months from now!!
We need to hear discussion and debate on a wide range of issues that affect the people of our country. We deserve more than 6 debates, controlled solely by the DNC. We deserve better than this!
Will you join with me and sign Bernie Sanders petition to Hillary Clinton asking her to demand that the DNC allow more debates and lift the restriction that forbids candidates from appearing in any debate not sanctioned by the DNC?
Sign Bernie's petition and tell Secretary Clinton to encourage the Democratic National Committee to schedule more debates before the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary in February and to allow important constituencies within the Democratic Party to host their own debates.