THE DNC IN ITS INFINITE WISDOM HAS DECIDED THEY
ARE ONLY GOING TO DO SIX DEBATES.
THE REPUBLICANS ARE
DOING APPROXIMATELY 10 1/2 MILLION DEBATES.
THIS IS A
GIANT PROBLEM, NOT JUST BECAUSE IF YOU ARE FOR SOME OF THE
CANDIDATES WHO HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY EXPOSURE YET, YOU WANT THEIR
IDEAS HEARD ñ THAT IS A REAL ISSUE, AND PERHAPS THE REASON
WHY THERE IS ONLY SIX DEBATES.
BUT ALSO BECAUSE YOU ARE LETTING
THE REPUBLICANS FRAME
EVERYTHING.
THERE'S ALREADY BEEN TWO DEBATES, THERE'S BEEN NO
RESPONSE FROM THE DEMOCRATS, SO ANYONE LOOKING INTO HOW A
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS GOING, THEY WILL THINK, ON THE ISSUE OF
IRAN THERE ARE ONLY TWO CHOICES: GO TO WAR IMMEDIATELY,
OR GO TO WAR AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS.
GO TO WAR WITH IRAN, OR
NUKE IRAN.
THOSE ARE YOUR CHOICES, BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS HAVE
FRAMED THESE CHOICES MASSIVELY IN THE DEBATES, AND THERE HAVE
BEEN NO DEBATES WITH THE DEMOCRATS.
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT THEY HAVE NOT DONE DEBATES
BECAUSE THEY ARE BACKING HILLARY CLINTON.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
WINNING HAVE NO INTEREST IN DEBATES, THEY JUST WANT TO HOLD
ONTO THEIR LEAD.
I THINK THAT IS VERY LIKELY.
I'M NOT
GOING TO PULL A FOX NEWS AND SAY, SOME PEOPLE SAY IT, I
DIDN'T SAY IT, I'M JUST TELLING YOU THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK
THAT.
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ SAID,
"WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT, DRAWING THE CONTRAST REPUBLICANS, OR
ARGUING ABOUT DEBATES?
WE SHOULD BE
FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND."
HAVING A DEBATE WOULD DRIVE A
STARK CONTRAST WITH THE REPUBLICANS.
NOT HAVING ANY VOICE AT
ALL DOES NOT DRAW ANY CONTRAST,
SO THAT EXCUSE IS SUPER WEAK SAUCE.
UNDERSTAND, THOSE
DEBATES ARE ENORMOUS FREE MEDIA.
IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF TENS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FREE ADVERTISING.
THE MORE DEBATES
THE REPUBLICANS HAVE, THE MORE ADVERTISING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
HAS.
THE LESS DEBATES DEMOCRATS HAVE, THE LESS ADVERTISING THEY
HAVE.
THE LESS CHANCE WHERE THEY HAVE A MEGAPHONE TO SPEAK
WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THE ONLY REASONABLE ANSWER IS THAT
THEY ARE PROTECTING THE FRONT RUNNER.
I'VE GOT BAD
NEWS FOR THEM, SHE IS NO LONGER THE FRONT RUNNER, BERNIE SANDERS
IS.
HE STILL WOULD WANT MORE DEBATES, HE BELIEVES IN HIS IDEAS.
ONE MORE FROM DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ.
"YOU KNOW BETTER
THAN ANYONE ELSE AT THIS RACE CAN'T BE WON FROM A STAGE OR
THROUGH A TELEVISION SCREEN.
YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR CANDIDATE
AT COFFEE SHOPS AND AT FORUMS, JUST LIKE THE ONE WE ARE HAVING
TODAY."
NONSENSE.
WHY IS HILLARY CLINTON BEING CALLED A FRONT
RUNNER?
NOT BECAUSE SHE WENT TO MORE COFFEE SHOPS, BUT BECAUSE
SHE HAS $100 MILLION, FROM WHENCE SHE CAN USE THAT ARSENAL
TO DO MORE TELEVISION ADS.
ALL THE DONORS BELIEVE, ALL OF THE
PARTIES BELIEVE, ALL OF THE ESTABLISHMENT BELIEVES THAT IN
FACT THE CAMPAIGNS ARE WON ON TELEVISION, SO PLEASE SPARE ME.
YOU KNOW THAT.
THIS IS ALREADY
INCREDIBLY OUTRAGEOUS.
WE GET TO THE LAST POINT, AND THAT
BRINGS US TO LARRY LESSIG.
HERE'S SOMETHING FASCINATING, THAT THE MEDIA HAS A CONFLICT OF
INTEREST IS NOT OFTEN TALKED
ABOUT.
THE COVER THE CAMPAIGNS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO THE LARGEST
BENEFICIARY OF THE CAMPAIGNS.
YOU SEE, THEY ARE THE ONES TO
GET ALL THOSE CAMPAIGN ADS.
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CAMPAIGN
ADS.
LARRY LESSIG IS RUNNING AS A DEMOCRAT, HE IS QUALIFIED IN
EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY, AND HIS MAIN ISSUE, HIS ONLY ISSUE IS,
CLEAN UP THE ELECTIONS, CLEAN UP THE CORRUPTION, GET MONEY OUT OF
POLITICS.
HE FRAMES IT IN THE CONTEXT OF EQUALITY FOR
EVERYONE.
HE WANTS TO GET RID
OF GERRYMANDERING, ETC.
GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.
MEDIA
MAKES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM
MONEY IN POLITICS.
ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, BUDDY ROEMER
ALSO WANTED TO GET MONEY OUT OF
POLITICS IN 2012.
HE'S A FORMER GOVERNOR, FORMER CONGRESSMAN,
YOU COULDN'T BE MORE QUALIFIED.
YOU COULD AGREE OR DISAGREE
WITH HIS POLICY DECISIONS, BUT OBVIOUSLY HE WAS
QUALIFIED TO RUN, RIGHT?
THEY EXCLUDED HIM FROM THE DEBATES.
THEY HAD A RANDOM PIZZA GUY IN THE RACE LAST TIME AROUND, THIS
TIME THEY HAVE A DOCTOR, THEY HAVE A FAILED CEO, THEY HAVE A
REALITY SHOW CONTESTANT.
BUT A FORMER GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA?
NO, I'M SORRY ñ WE DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR YOU.
HIS MAIN POINT WAS GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS, THEY DON'T LIKE TO SEE THAT.
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE A CLEAR STANDARD ON HOW TO GET INTO THE
DEBATE.
"THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES MUST AT
LEAST POLL AT ONE PERCENT IN THE SIX WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE DEBATE."
THAT'S FAIR, YOU NEED SOME STANDARDS.
THIS
IS A FAIR ENOUGH STANDARD.
GET ONE PERCENT IN THE NATIONAL
POLLS, AND IT IS NOT EASY TO DO.
WHEN YOU ARE A LAW PROFESSOR LIKE LARRY LESSIG, MOST PEOPLE
HAVEN'T HEARD OF HIM.
BUT HE IS WILLING TO FIGHT ON THOSE
GROUNDS.
FIRST POLL, ONE PERCENT SUPPORT FOR LARRY
LESSIG.
EXACTLY WHAT THEY ASKED HIM TO DO.
IN FACT, IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE, THE FIRST PRIMARY
STATE, ALSO AT ONE PERCENT.
HE HAS TO GET ONE PERCENT IN THREE
NATIONAL POLLS, SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE DEBATE.
WE ARE IN THAT PERIOD
NOW.
TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT, SCOTT WALKER WAS AT ZERO PERCENT
AND HE WAS IN EVERY DEBATE.
HE HAPPENED TO DROP OUT OF THE RACE
COINCIDENTLY TODAY, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER CANDIDATES IN THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT ARE UNDER ONE PERCENT.
IT'S NOT LIKE THE
DEMOCRATS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH
ROOM.
THE REPUBLICANS WERE INITIALLY DOING
THE DEBATES WITH SEVENTEEN PEOPLE.
THEY HAD A MAIN DEBATE,
A SECONDARY DEBATE, IN THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD THERE IS ONLY
SIX PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.
IT IS NOT LIKE IT IS OVERCROWDED, THAT'S
NOT THE ANSWER.
ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO LARRY
LESSIG?
THEY WON'T INCLUDE HIM
IN THE POLLS ANYMORE.
THINK ABOUT HOW FUNDAMENTALLY UNFAIR
THAT IS.
THEIR STANDARD IS, IF YOU GET ONE PERCENT OF THE POLLS
EVEN TO BE IN THE DEBATE.
THEY ARE LIKE, GOD DAMMIT HE'S
GETTING ONE PERCENT.
I GOT AN IDEA, LET'S LEAVE HIS NAME OUT.
SO, THE MAJOR MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS, WORKING WITH THE
DNC, ARE LEAVING LARRY LESSIG'S NAME OUT OF THE POLLS.
SO PEOPLE
CAN'T VOTE FOR HIM BECAUSE THEY NEVER GET PRESENTED WITH HIS
NAME.
UNBELIEVABLE.
AND THE DNC SPOKESPERSON SAYS IT.
"THE
THRESHOLD IS AGREED UPON BY THE DNC AND THE NETWORKS, AND IT IS
WITHIN THE SIX WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE DEBATE, SO WE ARE IS
STILL IN THAT PERIOD."
AND IN THAT PERIOD THEY ARE REFUSING TO
INCLUDE LARRY LESSIG'S NAME IN THE POLLS.
IS THIS FAIR?
IS
THIS DEMOCRACY?
AND IS IT A
COINCIDENCE THAT THE TWO GUYS, ONE ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE LAST
TIME, THIS TIME ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE, THE TWO GUYS
WHO MADE THEIR MAIN POINTS TO GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS, THE
MEDIA WHO RUN THESE POLLS AND THESE DEBATES DECIDE, SORRY, YOU
GUYS ARE THE ONES THAT WE LEAVE OUT OF THE POLLS AND NOW
YOU CAN'T GET INTO THE DEBATES.
WHAT A COINCIDENCE.
HERE'S WHAT
YOU NEED TO DO, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FAIRNESS AND A
REAL DEBATE OF IDEAS, AND YOU BELIEVE THAT WHOEVER IS THE BEST
CANDIDATE WILL WIN THAT BATTLE OF IDEAS, YOU SHOULD ROAR AT
THE DNC, AND THOSE MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS.
WE ASKED FOR A
REAL DEBATE, GIVE US ONE.
WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE PEOPLE YOU
ARE APPEALING TO, THE PEOPLE YOU ARE SERVING.
YOU ARE SUPPOSED
TO BE OUR REPRESENTATIVES, SO REPRESENT OUR TRUE VOICE.
LET
EVERYBODY WHO QUALIFIES FOR THE
DEBATE, PUT THEM IN THE POLLS, GIVE EVERYBODY A CHANCE.
SO FAR
THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL PARTY HAS DONE NO SUCH THING.
IF YOU
ARE A DEMOCRAT, YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED BY THAT.
YOUNG TURKS.