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.
Virginia man acquitted by insanity in killing flees US during 48-hour mental hospital pass
Man calls 911 after girlfriend found dead in motel, police allegedly uncover disturbing videos on his phone
Newly Released COVID Email Shows FDA Head Warning Fauci of Vax Side Effects, Then Eerie 4-Word Response from the Disgraced COVID Chief
Illegal immigrant learns fate after using stolen identity to vote in US elections for decades
Watch: Mom, Daughter Threatened with Ejection Over Pro-Girl Shirts, Despite Paying $2k for Tickets Just to Support Sophie Cunningham
LA gun owners stuck waiting years for concealed carry permits score major DOJ victory
Watch: In Just 30 Seconds Bill Maher Uses Actual History to Defeat One of Palestinians’ Dirtiest Gaza Lies
Mamdani’s New York: Man Charged with Hate Crime After Randomly Attacking Jewish Woman, 63, at Synagogue
Harvard, NYU among 30 universities hit with Pentagon foreign-tie audit deadline
Declassified FBI docs reveal Swalwell had sex with ‘Fang Fang’ multiple times
Babysitter accused of kidnapping two young sisters was previously charged with abducting newborn
Luigi Mangione’s New York murder trial adjourned until December over double jeopardy concerns
Trump meets teen lifeguard and boy saved in viral ocean rescue at Oval Office
Hasan Piker Says Candace Owens ‘Single-Handedly’ Protected Left-Wing Extremism with Charlie Kirk Theories: ‘I Am a Fan’
Trump gutted South Korea military drills due to lack of help against Iran
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.
Virginia man acquitted by insanity in killing flees US during 48-hour mental hospital pass
Man calls 911 after girlfriend found dead in motel, police allegedly uncover disturbing videos on his phone
Newly Released COVID Email Shows FDA Head Warning Fauci of Vax Side Effects, Then Eerie 4-Word Response from the Disgraced COVID Chief
Illegal immigrant learns fate after using stolen identity to vote in US elections for decades
Watch: Mom, Daughter Threatened with Ejection Over Pro-Girl Shirts, Despite Paying $2k for Tickets Just to Support Sophie Cunningham
LA gun owners stuck waiting years for concealed carry permits score major DOJ victory
Watch: In Just 30 Seconds Bill Maher Uses Actual History to Defeat One of Palestinians’ Dirtiest Gaza Lies
Mamdani’s New York: Man Charged with Hate Crime After Randomly Attacking Jewish Woman, 63, at Synagogue
Harvard, NYU among 30 universities hit with Pentagon foreign-tie audit deadline
Declassified FBI docs reveal Swalwell had sex with ‘Fang Fang’ multiple times
Babysitter accused of kidnapping two young sisters was previously charged with abducting newborn
Luigi Mangione’s New York murder trial adjourned until December over double jeopardy concerns
Trump meets teen lifeguard and boy saved in viral ocean rescue at Oval Office
Hasan Piker Says Candace Owens ‘Single-Handedly’ Protected Left-Wing Extremism with Charlie Kirk Theories: ‘I Am a Fan’
Trump gutted South Korea military drills due to lack of help against Iran
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.
