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.
US Sanctions Foreign Entities Accused Of Sharing Satellite Imagery, Access to Arms to Prop Up Iran’s War Effort
The unexpected force keeping beef prices high and why the pressure could last for years
How Al Qaeda repositioned itself to dominate the central Sahel
Pennsylvania man accused of fatal arson after woman allegedly rejected his advances
Virginia Dems Make Glaring Errors In Rushed Court Motion To Save Gerrymandering Scheme
Hegseth says Pentagon will review Mark Kelly’s public statements about classified briefing amid ongoing feud
Rebukes of Trump’s Pick for FDA Head Miss One Critical Fact
Union-funded anti-Spencer Pratt ad sparks backlash as critics say it could help him
Students’ pre-prom gathering turns into deadly nightmare as bullets fly
Marco Rubio Reveals the Message He Delivered Pope Leo During ‘Important Meeting’ at Vatican
Mom charged with child abuse after toddler found with tattoo in ‘deplorable’ home: cops
Trump says US helped secure release of 5 prisoners in Belarus deal, thanks Lukashenko
Savannah Guthrie urges public to help find missing mother Nancy in emotional Mother’s Day post
Kristin Smart search ends with no remains found as detectives analyze evidence
Watch: MLB Team Makes ‘Middle School Mistake’ As Season Continues to Spiral
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.
US Sanctions Foreign Entities Accused Of Sharing Satellite Imagery, Access to Arms to Prop Up Iran’s War Effort
The unexpected force keeping beef prices high and why the pressure could last for years
How Al Qaeda repositioned itself to dominate the central Sahel
Pennsylvania man accused of fatal arson after woman allegedly rejected his advances
Virginia Dems Make Glaring Errors In Rushed Court Motion To Save Gerrymandering Scheme
Hegseth says Pentagon will review Mark Kelly’s public statements about classified briefing amid ongoing feud
Rebukes of Trump’s Pick for FDA Head Miss One Critical Fact
Union-funded anti-Spencer Pratt ad sparks backlash as critics say it could help him
Students’ pre-prom gathering turns into deadly nightmare as bullets fly
Marco Rubio Reveals the Message He Delivered Pope Leo During ‘Important Meeting’ at Vatican
Mom charged with child abuse after toddler found with tattoo in ‘deplorable’ home: cops
Trump says US helped secure release of 5 prisoners in Belarus deal, thanks Lukashenko
Savannah Guthrie urges public to help find missing mother Nancy in emotional Mother’s Day post
Kristin Smart search ends with no remains found as detectives analyze evidence
Watch: MLB Team Makes ‘Middle School Mistake’ As Season Continues to Spiral
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.
