2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumMartin O’Malley Rails at Democrats for Debate Schedule ‘Rigged’ to Aid Hillary Clinton.NYT
Martin OMalley had one clear chance to make waves within the Democratic National Committee, and he seized it, delivering a fiery speech Friday that condemned his partys leadership for what he called a process rigged to help Hillary Rodham Clinton namely, curtailing the number of presidential primary debates.
Accusing party leaders of trying to keep Democratic ideas hidden as the Republican presidential candidates spew racist hate from their debate lecterns, Mr. OMalley, the former Maryland governor and mayor of Baltimore, questioned the decision to hold four debates and four debates only before the first four states finish voting.
This is totally unprecedented in our partys history, Mr. OMalley said. This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before. Whose decree is it exactly? Where did it come from? To what end? For what purpose? What national or party interest does this decree serve? How does this help us tell the story of the last eight years of Democratic progress? . .
While Mr. OMalley has been deeply critical of the party for weeks over the debate schedule, this was a frontal attack on the partys leadership from its own stage. Without endorsements or many major donors, Mr. OMalley has little to lose.
But he was giving voice to a complaint that a growing number of party committee members have been making privately. Those members, mindful that Mrs. Clintons standing in some polls has sagged lately, have been concerned about a process that could ultimately do the party a disservice.
But delivering such a raw speech startled Democrats at the partys summer meeting, although it was met with cheers from the crowd.
Mr. OMalley, a lifelong Democrat and onetime chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, seemed comfortable playing the insurgent as he took the stage.
He urged Democrats to draw a sharp contrast with the discourse among the Republican presidential candidates. Silence and complacency in the face of hate is not an honorable option, he said, alluding to Donald J. Trumps divisive remarks about immigration and women. We must stand before the American people and show them we have a better way.
Mr. OMalley pointed out that the New Hampshire debate, the only one to be held before that states primary, was set for a weekend in December, when many people will be distracted with Christmas shopping and family obligations. (At home we would call that too cute by half, he told reporters after his speech.)
Later, he acknowledged that he was not the only liberal candidate in the race, but trumpeted his accomplishments in Maryland, including signing a law extending in-state tuition rates to college students who are in the country illegally.
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/08/28/martin-omalley-rails-at-democrats-for-debate-schedule-rigged-to-aid-hillary-clinton/
FSogol
(45,448 posts)randys1
(16,286 posts)Control-Z
(15,682 posts)I know DU had some problems a few years ago with violations.
Joe the Revelator
(14,915 posts)frylock
(34,825 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Juicy_Bellows
(2,427 posts)This is totally unprecedented in our partys history, Mr. OMalley said. This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before. Whose decree is it exactly? Where did it come from? To what end? For what purpose? What national or party interest does this decree serve? How does this help us tell the story of the last eight years of Democratic progress?
ANSWER KEY -
HRC
HRC
HRC for president
HRC for president
DNC HRC
It doesn't, resistance is futile. Go eat cake.
Dragonfli
(10,622 posts)monmouth4
(9,686 posts)humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)was different than the RNC... No wonder the righties are swarming for trump... I vote anyone but establishment...
elleng
(130,732 posts)Gotta see to it that it's not ABSOLUTE!
pnwmom
(108,955 posts)Yes, there is a risk that the DNC will follow through on its promise to kick candidates out of their debates. But the only one who would be hurt by that would be Hillary, if ALL the other candidates moved to set up their own series of debates -- and she was left alone. The networks aren't going to cover 6 hours of Hillary talking to herself.
So why isn't this going to happen? Probably because Bernie is doing just fine in the polls, unlike Martin. Bernie wants to debate Hillary, even if that means fewer debates. So he's not going to abandon the DNC ship along with the other candidates. He's calculated that he's better off with 6 debates WITH Hillary than 12 debates without her.
Andy823
(11,495 posts)If they have the debates on their own, and Hillary does not go, that's up to her, but if they all get banned it will be pretty hard for on candidate to debate themselves on stage!
RiverNoord
(1,150 posts)Just try to imagine how pathetic HRC and much of the DNC would look if all of her primary challengers were banned from official Democratic party debates because they had the guts to say 'screw you' to an absurd policy and debate each other instead.
I rather suspect that there are more than a few DNC members who realize the same thing...
jalan48
(13,841 posts)The reality is most Americans know very little about either. Hillary is well known. Giving more opportunities for public exposure doesn't help Hillary. O'Malley's right, it's a set up by the DNC to help Hillary.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)It's clear that the DNC would rather risk losing the general than see Clinton lose the primary.
elleng
(130,732 posts)THAT's the way to win an election NOT!