Well, let's see. After two debates, Scott Walker has dropped out of the race now having an asterisk for his polling number.
And Carly Fiorina who stood at the kids' table for the first debate and did so well that they stood her at the adult table for the second debate has risen drastically in the polls.
So you think people don't watch debates, but 20+ million people watched the first republican debate and 20+ million people watched the second republican debate. "Some" say it was only because of Trump.
Let's assume that's true, which it may or may not be, that fewer people may have watched if Trump was not included, let's move on to the coverage afterwards.
Clips and clips and more clips were played on every network and cable media outlet and discussed as well as written about in every print paper, magazine, and written on blogs reporting on each debate for a few days after each debate.
I personally think Debbie Wasserman Schultz is protecting Hillary Clinton from having to participate in a non-scripted debate, which Ms. Clinton can't control, based on Ms. Schultz only scheduling six debates, based on scheduling them at horrible times, and adding the exclusivity clause where if Sanders and O'Malley wanted to attend, say, a League of Women Voters debate, Sanders and O'Malley would be barred from participating in the DNC debates.
There just ain't nothing fair about Ms. Schultz' decision for all of the candidates.
The only fair thing for Ms. Schultz to do is to now is to drop the exclusivity clause and let the candidates manage their own debating schedule outside of the DNC puny number of debates and timing.
A surrogate for Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, does think six DNC debates are enough, but even he doesn't agree with the exclusivity clause.
UPDATE:
After reading the comments, it occurred to me that Hell No, I don't want to see any more DNC debates. I don't trust Ms. Schultz and her scheduling and rules for the debates.
I still stand by that Ms. Schultz should drop the exclusivity clause and let the candidates do as they wish. They're not children and they can manage their schedule just fine.
Wasserman Schultz defended the paucity of debates, noting how it takes candidates off the campaign trail which means "they are going to not get as much of an opportunity from the voters to be seen up close and personal."
[...]
And every time a candidate has to engage and get ready for a debate, they have to come off the trail. And that means that they are going to not get as much of an opportunity from the voters to be seen up close and personal.