The qualifying criteria for the next Democratic debate are out, and they manage to exclude the only veteran and only woman of color left in the race: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii).
This afternoon, Politico reported that the candidates still in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination will need to have earned at least 20 percent of the delegates awarded thus far in order to participate in the March 15 debate hosted by CNN and Univision in Phoenix, Arizona.
That means that only former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.), who respectively have 48 percent and 41 percent of the delegates so far, will be on next Sunday’s stage.
Despite her strong showing in the American Samoa caucuses where she won two delegates, Gabbard still falls short of that very high threshold.
Had the Democratic National Committee stuck with its criteria for the last debate it held on February 25—which only required each candidate to have won a single delegate—Gabbard would have qualified.
The White House Reportedly Chastised Netanyahu with a ‘Stern’ Message After Weekend Strike
SNAP Recipient Complains About New Rules Blocking Junk Food Purchases: ‘What Is the Point?’
FBI doubted probable cause for Mar-a-Lago raid but pushed forward amid pressure from Biden DOJ, emails reveal
Ex-NFL reporter Michele Tafoya close to deciding on Minnesota Senate bid
Kennedy urges GOP to restart spending battle amid soaring cost of living, warns against wasting majority
Watch: Providence Police Chief Gives Astonishingly Unacceptable Response When Asked What Shooter Shouted Before Gunning Down Students
Late Breaking Video: Trump Takes Out Big Batch of Narco Terrorists in Highly Effective 3-Boat Strike
Rob Reiner’s son Nick’s struggles come into focus after parents’ deaths and more top headlines
House GOP tensions erupt as Republicans turn on each other heading into year’s end
Brian Glenn reveals engagement to Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene: ‘She said ‘yes”
‘Ghost ships’ ferrying illicit oil have sailed into Trump’s crosshairs
Doctor mysteriously found dead inside Dollar Tree freezer reportedly naked
Terrifying video shows out-of-control MTA bus plowing into cars in the Bronx, injuring 8
Pentagon launches full command investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly over ‘serious misconduct’ allegations
Comer gives Clintons last chance to testify in Epstein inquiry before contempt proceedings
DNC Communications Director Xochitl Hinojosa foreshadowed this decision on Super Tuesday, saying on Twitter that “by the time we have the March debate, almost 2,000 delegates will be allocated. The threshold will reflect where we are in the race, as it always has.”
We have two more debates– of course the threshold will go up. By the time we have the March debate, almost 2,000 delegates will be allocated. The threshold will reflect where we are in the race, as it always has.
— Xochitl Hinojosa (@XochitlHinojosa) March 4, 2020
In response to the expected rule change, Gabbard tweeted Thursday about her campaign’s foreign policy focus, and how that can’t be separated from the domestic issues that have gotten the most attention in past debates.
The White House Reportedly Chastised Netanyahu with a ‘Stern’ Message After Weekend Strike
SNAP Recipient Complains About New Rules Blocking Junk Food Purchases: ‘What Is the Point?’
FBI doubted probable cause for Mar-a-Lago raid but pushed forward amid pressure from Biden DOJ, emails reveal
Ex-NFL reporter Michele Tafoya close to deciding on Minnesota Senate bid
Kennedy urges GOP to restart spending battle amid soaring cost of living, warns against wasting majority
Watch: Providence Police Chief Gives Astonishingly Unacceptable Response When Asked What Shooter Shouted Before Gunning Down Students
Late Breaking Video: Trump Takes Out Big Batch of Narco Terrorists in Highly Effective 3-Boat Strike
Rob Reiner’s son Nick’s struggles come into focus after parents’ deaths and more top headlines
House GOP tensions erupt as Republicans turn on each other heading into year’s end
Brian Glenn reveals engagement to Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene: ‘She said ‘yes”
‘Ghost ships’ ferrying illicit oil have sailed into Trump’s crosshairs
Doctor mysteriously found dead inside Dollar Tree freezer reportedly naked
Terrifying video shows out-of-control MTA bus plowing into cars in the Bronx, injuring 8
Pentagon launches full command investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly over ‘serious misconduct’ allegations
Comer gives Clintons last chance to testify in Epstein inquiry before contempt proceedings
I welcome the opportunity to raise & discuss the foreign policy challenges we face, like the new cold war/nuclear arms race, Turkey's efforts to drag the U.S. into a war with Russia over Syria, the coronavirus, & more. Domestic policy cannot be separated from foreign policy. https://t.co/jgVxSz1huX
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) March 5, 2020
Biden and Sanders have sparred in the past over the former’s initial support for the Iraq War, so there is some chance that the two candidates’ contrasting foreign policy visions will be on display come the next debate.
Still, it might have been interesting to have Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, up on stage to offer her own unique perspective on foreign policy. She’s repeatedly argued that rising tensions between the U.S., Russia, and China is putting the country on the road to nuclear war.
A Bernie-Biden smackdown will likely feature less talk of a nuclear apocalypse and a lot more bickering about health care. That’s enough to get anyone running for their fall out shelter.
Story cited here.
