O'Malley may buck DNC, participate in non-sanctioned debates.

[elleng]

Martin O'Malley warned Tuesday that he and his fellow Democrat candidates for president would "probably" take part in debates that aren't sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee.

O'Malley has already warned he wants the DNC to hold more debates during the 2016 cycle, and his threat raises the prospect that he and others might buck the DNC if needed. He told WKBK radio in New Hampshire that he'd participate in "as many forums" as possible, and said he doesn't think the DNC can legally bar candidates from their sanctioned debates if they participate in non-sanctioned debates.

Host Dan Mitchell asked if the DNC was limiting debates to protect Hillary Clinton, the front-runner, and asked if O'Malley and other Democrats might get together and hold their own debate.

"Well, I think, probably, that's what will happen," O'Malley replied. "I've called upon all of our presidential candidates, including Secretary Clinton, to step up and say we should have more than just one debate in Iowa or one debate in New Hampshire. And to add injury to insult, for them to schedule this in New Hampshire on the 19th of December when everyone's out getting ready for Christmas or doing their stuff with their church choir or what have you, that's just really outrageous."

"We're supposed to be the Democratic Party, not the un-democratic party," he said. "We should be having more debates than the other guys, not fewer, because we actually have ideas that will move our country forward. That's what we've done in the past as a party, and that's what we need to do again."

"I'm going to go to as many forums as I can," O'Malley added.

O'Malley also said he's asked the DNC to stand down on its rule that says candidates can't participate in sanctioned debates if they participate in others.

"hey're in essence saying that if you participate in an unsanctioned debate, one of the three they're allowing across the country before the New Hampshire primary ... that if you participate in an unsanctioned debate, unsanctioned, that is, by the DNC power brokers, that you are going to be prohibited from coming to the other debates," he said. "I don't think legally they have the ability to do that. So we'll see."

While O'Malley has been an outspoken critic of the Democrats' decision to hold six debates, with one each in Iowa and New Hampshire, this is the first time he's raised the prospect of rebelling against the party in this fashion. DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has consistently defended the party's "robust" debate schedule, which was announced on Aug. 6, the same day the first Republican debate was held.

The debate stage could be where O'Malley breaks out of the basement of polling. Currently, he sits in fifth in the latest RealClearPolitics average with only 1.8 percent support, which only tops former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee in the field.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/omalley-may-buck-dnc-participate-in-non-sanctioned-debates/article/2570387

[cali]

1. he's got guts. I like that

[Flying Squirrel]

33. It's easy to have guts when you don't hsve much to lose

But I do like it too, and he has a good point about Dec. 19, what a lousy day for a debate.

[artislife]

2. Wouldn't that be interesting

If all the other dem candidates decided to buck the system and then all got disqualified from the DNC debates. It would make them moot. I like it.

[cascadiance]

7. O'Malley should go talk to the League of Women Voters to help with this...

If we got them to help put together a newer set of "alternate" debates and invite all candidates (including Clinton) to participate in them.

If Hillary did participate in them, I think that would be the death sentence (AND DESERVEDLY SO!) for Debbie Wasserman Schultz as head of the DNC, as most then would perceive these debates as the real debates, and the others as the biased and fake ones that have been "engineered" by her and her f'ing bias and incompetence!

Even if Hillary doesn't participate, and they exclude all of the other candidates so that Hillary can debate herself, then most people will feel the League of Women Voters administered events as being objective events to pick REAL leadership to turn around our country and the DNC debates as more a BIASED DNC's effort to give Hillary Clinton extra television time if she's just "debating" herself then. And it would send the message more of the Democratic Party as needing new blood to fix it like Bernie Sanders (or even one of the others that participate in these other debates like O'Malley) to avoid such problems like the way they have been trying to control the debate set up in an arguably bad way of doing so.

I have to admit that I'd like to see these additional debates to get to know O'Malley more too! I'd like to see him more to confirm him as someone I could get behind as a second choice to Sanders at this point.

[Andy823]

21. Excellent idea

I think going to a debate by the League of Women voters would be a great idea and one that would be very hard for the DNC to complain about.

[lovemydog]

34. That's an excellent idea.

I hope someone from his campaign reads your posts and communicates this both to the O'Malley campaign and to the League of Women Voters. Both of whom I respect very much.

[montanacowboy]

3. Good for Him

I totally agree! I am sick of the DNC and especially DWS who is someone who has to go - she has done jack shit for the party and is totally worthless

[phleshdef]

4. I think all the candidates should ignore the DNC on this entirely.

We should already be having debates now. This is fucking ridiculous.

[99th_Monkey]

18. +100000 nt

[JustAnotherGen]

32. The Republicans are getting a very long running media cycle

The sooner we have debates - the better.

[monmouth4]

5. I am with O'Malley completely on this and maybe it's time for DWS to wake up. I hope he and Bernie

and Chafee go for it. Doubat HRC will, but who knows?

[Andy823]

23. I agree with you

If both he and Bernie decided to go to other debates, invited all the other candidate, the media would be there, and that would be hard if the whole crowd showed up and then the DNC tried to ban "all of them" from the sanctioned debates. I would also be kind of funny if the all did show since banning them all would mean nobody would be at the ones the DNC did sanction.

I really think that if O'Malley and Bernie got together on this they can make it happen.

[Fred Sanders]

6. I would opine that O'M should participate in the first debate and see how it goes from there.

October, 2015 to the first vote cast in anger is still a long, long, time for modifications to Democratic Party rules.

[artislife]

9. Surprise!

[tritsofme]

8. The exclusivity rule is not enforceable, if the other candidates want to hold

other events, the networks and sponsors of the "official" debates are not bound to this agreement and are not obligated to ban participants they otherwise would have allowed, and almost certainly would not.

[elleng]

11. Right but hrc has lots of 'power,'

which may/probably will cause many of those you mention to hesitate, imo.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. I hope that all the other candidates join in the rebellion.

[elleng]

13. I suspect/hope he's consulting with them.

[Octafish]

12. Good!

Like cali said above, the guy's got guts. And I like that.

[sabrina 1]

14. I agree with everything he says here. And I think he's right that the DNC cannot

legally block candidates who choose to take part in debates not organized and controlled by them. How undemocratic!

Good for him and I hope all the other candidates will join him in debates not on DWS's list, Hillary too.

[think]

15. The DNC has scheduled one of the 6 debates for December 19th.

[delrem]

16. k&r !

This won't be a truly democratic primary if the candidates don't break out from the artificial constraints of the newly minted DNC rules, which favor the big money candidate and only the big money candidate.

[kenfrequed]

17. If Bernie and O'Malley go...

If Sanders and O'Malley attend would they stick to the DNC rules? (which are identical to the rules the RNC tends to use)

I imagine if Webb and Chaffee stick to the DNC rules there might be an effort to exclude Bernie and O'Malley both. If all four defect from the DNC sanctioned debates then there is no way they could do so.

[Jim Lane]

20. I agree, Chafee and Webb become important (for the first time)

If there's an unsanctioned Chafee-O'Malley-Sanders-Webb debate (preferably with an empty podium for the recalcitrant Clinton), then DNC enforcement of its gag order would turn every sanctioned "debate" into a Hillary Clinton press conference. Not even the DNC would try to get away with that (if only because it would make Clinton look bad).

On the other hand, if O'Malley and Sanders accept an invitation (say, from a labor union) to an unsanctioned debate, and Chafee and Webb decline, then the sanctioned debates, with three candidates, look more genuine.

My concern is that Chafee and Webb, seeking to curry favor with the DNC and hoping to be Clinton's VP pick, wouldn't go along with the O'Malley-Sanders rebellion. They would then provide cover for the DNC's shabby maneuver.

[99th_Monkey]

19. As a Democrat, I find it embarrassing that my party is limiting debates

As Sabrina1 said, how Un-democratic.

[jtuck004]

22. Dear Sponsors: I'd watch them. n/t

[elleng]

24. Yes, could be a good way to attract sponsors,

but I'm also thinking of hrc's sharp elbows some may fear. Guess we can decide to avoid those chickens, tho.

I DO hope Governor O'Malley is in conversation with many on this subject, and the way he handles it may indicate something(s) interesting about him.

[jtuck004]

25. I think he has good ideas. I want to hear more. n/t

[elleng]

26. You and many others, jtuck004.

[Maedhros]

27. Buck the DNC! [n/t]

[BeyondGeography]

28. One debate in Iowa two-and-a-half months before the caucus is stupid on every level

not least because it will piss off Iowans. O'Malley is doing the DNC a favor by speaking out.

[elleng]

29. Sure is stupid.

Don't know that DNC will appreciate the favor.

[OilemFirchen]

30. With all due respect...

you seriously couldn't find a source better than the Washington Examiner?

[elleng]

31. I did mean to 'highlight' it,

but it's been posted and bruited about often, lately.

Here's Weekly Standard on a related story: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/omalley-party-bosses-limiting-debate_1014159.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-14/what-if-martin-o-malley-or-bernie-sanders-disobey-the-dnc-on-debates-

[davidpdx]

35. A K & R for O'Malley