Resolution for 2016: More Debate!
The last Democratic presidential debate of 2015 was held on the Saturday night before Christmas. Viewership was roughly one-quarter that of the first Republican debate and dramatically lower than all the Republican debates.
In other words, the Democrats lost the competition for viewers -- and for framing the issues and ideas for the 2016 presidential competition.
The last Democratic presidential debate of 2015 was held on the Saturday night before Christmas. Viewership was roughly one-quarter that of the first Republican debate and dramatically lower than all the Republican debates.
In other words, the Democrats lost the competition for viewers -- and for framing the issues and ideas for the 2016 presidential competition.
That's bad for the Democratic Party and its candidates. It's also bad for a body politic that requires more than the junk-food diet offered up by Donald Trump and most of his fellow contenders for the Republican presidential nod.
So former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, one of the most respected independent progressive figures within the Democratic orbit, has decided to do something about the problem.
Working with the activist group Democracy for America, Reich is circulating a petition that urges urges the Democratic National Committee and its chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to schedule additional debates.
More than 100,000 Americans have signed the petition -- which echoes calls from former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for more debates -- and the number is rising rapidly.
Reich is making an important point as a prominent progressive who served in former President Bill Clinton's Cabinet and who has emerged as a hero of activists aligned with what is frequently referred to as "the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party."
"The Democratic National Committee has scheduled fewer than half the debates the Republicans have scheduled, and also put them on weekends when few people are likely to watch (the next one will be on a Sunday during the NFL playoffs, during the three-day MLK Jr. birthday weekend). Again by contrast, the Republicans have made sure their debates are in prime time," he explains. "As a result, Republicans are getting lots of free TV time for their right-wing ideas and brainless policies, while Democrats get little time for ideas and policies that should be front and center. Republican debates are making the headlines, while Democratic debates are buried. Republican lies and misinformation shape the public's understanding of what's at stake in the 2016 election, while real issues and the important facts are sidelined."
The fight for more debates ought not to be limited to the Democratic primary process.
Activists should also be fighting for more debates once the parties have nominated their candidates for president.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, a joint project of Democratic and Republican party insiders, currently has control of the fall presidential debates -- along with the television networks. The commission has a history of narrowing the number of debates, limiting the number of candidates who can participate, and selecting moderators and panelists who constrain rather than expand the range of debate.
Now is the time to start fighting to break the stranglehold of the commission and open up the fall debates. Some groups are already working in this direction. There's even a change.org petition that calls for the commission to "Include All Qualified Candidates in 2016 Presidential Debates."
Debates are an essential feature of democracy, and we should all resolve to fight for more of them in 2016.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
The last Democratic presidential debate of 2015 was held on the Saturday night before Christmas. Viewership was roughly one-quarter that of the first Republican debate and dramatically lower than all the Republican debates.
In other words, the Democrats lost the competition for viewers -- and for framing the issues and ideas for the 2016 presidential competition.
That's bad for the Democratic Party and its candidates. It's also bad for a body politic that requires more than the junk-food diet offered up by Donald Trump and most of his fellow contenders for the Republican presidential nod.
So former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, one of the most respected independent progressive figures within the Democratic orbit, has decided to do something about the problem.
Working with the activist group Democracy for America, Reich is circulating a petition that urges urges the Democratic National Committee and its chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to schedule additional debates.
More than 100,000 Americans have signed the petition -- which echoes calls from former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for more debates -- and the number is rising rapidly.
Reich is making an important point as a prominent progressive who served in former President Bill Clinton's Cabinet and who has emerged as a hero of activists aligned with what is frequently referred to as "the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party."
"The Democratic National Committee has scheduled fewer than half the debates the Republicans have scheduled, and also put them on weekends when few people are likely to watch (the next one will be on a Sunday during the NFL playoffs, during the three-day MLK Jr. birthday weekend). Again by contrast, the Republicans have made sure their debates are in prime time," he explains. "As a result, Republicans are getting lots of free TV time for their right-wing ideas and brainless policies, while Democrats get little time for ideas and policies that should be front and center. Republican debates are making the headlines, while Democratic debates are buried. Republican lies and misinformation shape the public's understanding of what's at stake in the 2016 election, while real issues and the important facts are sidelined."
The fight for more debates ought not to be limited to the Democratic primary process.
Activists should also be fighting for more debates once the parties have nominated their candidates for president.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, a joint project of Democratic and Republican party insiders, currently has control of the fall presidential debates -- along with the television networks. The commission has a history of narrowing the number of debates, limiting the number of candidates who can participate, and selecting moderators and panelists who constrain rather than expand the range of debate.
Now is the time to start fighting to break the stranglehold of the commission and open up the fall debates. Some groups are already working in this direction. There's even a change.org petition that calls for the commission to "Include All Qualified Candidates in 2016 Presidential Debates."
Debates are an essential feature of democracy, and we should all resolve to fight for more of them in 2016.
The last Democratic presidential debate of 2015 was held on the Saturday night before Christmas. Viewership was roughly one-quarter that of the first Republican debate and dramatically lower than all the Republican debates.
In other words, the Democrats lost the competition for viewers -- and for framing the issues and ideas for the 2016 presidential competition.
That's bad for the Democratic Party and its candidates. It's also bad for a body politic that requires more than the junk-food diet offered up by Donald Trump and most of his fellow contenders for the Republican presidential nod.
So former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, one of the most respected independent progressive figures within the Democratic orbit, has decided to do something about the problem.
Working with the activist group Democracy for America, Reich is circulating a petition that urges urges the Democratic National Committee and its chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to schedule additional debates.
More than 100,000 Americans have signed the petition -- which echoes calls from former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders for more debates -- and the number is rising rapidly.
Reich is making an important point as a prominent progressive who served in former President Bill Clinton's Cabinet and who has emerged as a hero of activists aligned with what is frequently referred to as "the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party."
"The Democratic National Committee has scheduled fewer than half the debates the Republicans have scheduled, and also put them on weekends when few people are likely to watch (the next one will be on a Sunday during the NFL playoffs, during the three-day MLK Jr. birthday weekend). Again by contrast, the Republicans have made sure their debates are in prime time," he explains. "As a result, Republicans are getting lots of free TV time for their right-wing ideas and brainless policies, while Democrats get little time for ideas and policies that should be front and center. Republican debates are making the headlines, while Democratic debates are buried. Republican lies and misinformation shape the public's understanding of what's at stake in the 2016 election, while real issues and the important facts are sidelined."
The fight for more debates ought not to be limited to the Democratic primary process.
Activists should also be fighting for more debates once the parties have nominated their candidates for president.
The Commission on Presidential Debates, a joint project of Democratic and Republican party insiders, currently has control of the fall presidential debates -- along with the television networks. The commission has a history of narrowing the number of debates, limiting the number of candidates who can participate, and selecting moderators and panelists who constrain rather than expand the range of debate.
Now is the time to start fighting to break the stranglehold of the commission and open up the fall debates. Some groups are already working in this direction. There's even a change.org petition that calls for the commission to "Include All Qualified Candidates in 2016 Presidential Debates."
Debates are an essential feature of democracy, and we should all resolve to fight for more of them in 2016.