DNC Chairwoman talks Democratic ideals, GOP field at Soapbox

Chairwomen of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz focused on Democratic values while bashing many of the Republican candidates at The Des Moines Register's Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday.

Amid shouts of protests, Wasserman Schultz touched upon pay equity, the Affordable Care Act, and retirement security in her 15 minute speech at the Soapbox, ending with a rallying call to ensure that a Democratic president is elected in 2016.

"That is what the Democratic party stands for. Equality, equality of opportunity, making sure that we can support the cornerstones of a middle class life," she told the crowd.

"That's what you'll get from a Democratic president, and I will work every single day along with many of you to make sure that the Democratic nominee for President is elected the 45th president of the United States."

Several protesters, who stood in the back of a crowd that filled the grassy area in front of the soapbox, held up signs calling for more Democratic debates. When asked after her speech about the number of DNC sanctioned debates -- six this election cycle starting in October -- Wasserman Schultz stood by the Democratic National Committee's decision.

"We're making sure, given that we have a relatively small field, that our debates are going to be structured so that everybody who has the opportunity who is sizing up our candidates to really get a good look at those candidates," she responded.

"I am confident that with the six debates that we'll have that we'll have a robust discussion, that the candidates will be able to air their ideas and that voters through out the process, starting in October with one each month in advance of the primaries and caucuses, will have a chance to really get a good look at the candidates."

Though some protesters interviewed by the Des Moines Register said they were advocating for more debates for the Democratic national party, a spokesperson for AllowDebate clarified that the organization was protesting to denounce the DNC's new restrictions which forbid any Democratic contender from participating in debates beyond the six official DNC events

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