When the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz took the stage at a party convention in New Hampshire this weekend, her speech was drowned out with a resounding chant of “we want debates”.

Just days before, Democratic activists brought the issue to the DNC’s front door with dozens of protesters gathered outside – some from the Martin O’Malley campaign and others waving #FeeltheBern signs – demonstrated outside DNC headquarters in Washington DC, to demand that their party allow more presidential debates.



As demand for more debates become increasingly louder, the issue has gone from being an embarrassing sideshow to one that the DNC – and Hillary Clinton – may no longer be able to ignore. But on Saturday, Wasserman Schultz, a US representative from Florida, showed no signs of backing down.

“What’s more important?” Wasserman Schultz, said raising her voice to be heard over the chanting. “Drawing a contrast with Republicans or arguing about debates. Let’s focus on our mission and the task at hand.”

Earlier this year, the DNC announced that it had authorized six debates in the party’s 2016 primary, significantly fewer than in past elections cycles. A growing number of activists are criticizing the relatively light debate schedule, accusing the DNC of designing a format that benefits the party’s frontrunner, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.



Only four debates are slated to take place before the the first primary contest, the Iowa caucus, on 1 February. Three of those are scheduled on weekends, with the December one falling between Hanukkah and Christmas.



“I mean seriously,” asked Efe Brock, a political activist and a Sanders supporter who joined the protest at DNC headquarters on Wednesday, “Do they even want people to watch the debates?”

‘Exclusivity is not a Democratic principle’

In 2004 and 2008, Democratic candidates participated in many more presidential primary debates, a majority of which were not sanctioned by the DNC; they also began earlier in the cycle. But this time around candidates risk being banned from official debates if they appear in ones not sponsored by the DNC.

Democratic contender O’Malley, who is struggling to gain traction in the race, even as Clinton falters in the polls, has led an aggressive charge demanding more debates. During his speech at the DNC’s summer meeting in Minneapolis he stood before the committee’s leaders and called the process “rigged” and challenged them to redraw the schedule, receiving loud applause for his lines.

Democratic candidate Lawrence Lessig decries 'catch-22' TV debate eligibility Read more

In a recent interview, O’Malley called the format “party malpractice.”

“I think there’s an instinct within the establishment of political parties, there’s a tendency to calcify and to kind of circle the wagon, to fall back on old relationships,” the former Maryland governor said on the Thom Hartmann radio show on Friday, “instead of appreciating the truth that the American people are always looking for new leadership to move us forward.”

The public rift may soon reach a breaking point, as several prominent Democrats have come out in favor of more debates and raised concerns over the way the process is being handled.

Earlier this week, DNC vice chairs, Tulsi Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii, and RT Rybak, a former mayor of Minneapolis, called on their party to add “several more” debates to the schedule and to withdraw the restrictions put in place to keep candidates from participating in unsanctioned debates.

They said the party committee’s decision “limits the ability of the American people to benefit from a strong, transparent, vigorous debate between our presidential candidates, as they make the important decision of who will be our Democratic presidential nominee”.

And as the debate over the debate escalates, Democratic candidates have been asked to take sides. Earlier this week, Clinton said in an interview that she is willing to participate in more DNC-sanctioned debates, but declined to call for more.



“I have said from the very beginning I look forward to debating,” she told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Thursday. “I will certainly show up anywhere the Democratic National Committee tells us to show up because I want us to have a good exchange of ideas and to make sure that Democratic voters first, and then general voters to follow, see exactly what we stand for and what our positions are.”

Though Sanders hasn’t officially joined forces with O’Malley, he has stated that the DNC was “dead wrong” to restrict the primary debates and agrees there should be more. Democratic contenders former Virginia senator James Webb and Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig also agreed the DNC should remove the barriers to debate.

“Exclusivity is not a Democratic principle,” said Webb’s campaign manager Craig Crawford in an email. “We are happy to consider any debate proposal.”

‘Why not have a few more showtimes’

The intent of the shortened debate schedule was not to restrict debate, but rather to control the debate process, which in 2008 grew to more than two dozen debates.

“We are thrilled the candidates are so eager to participate in our debates,” said DNC spokeswoman Holly Shulman. “We believe that six debates will give plenty of opportunity for the candidates to be seen side-by-side. I’m sure there will be lots of other forums for the candidates to make their case to voters, and that they will make the most out of every opportunity.”

On the other side, Republicans have also taken steps to limit the sprawl of the party’s primary, and the GOP candidates have agreed to debates sanctioned by the Republican National Committee (RNC). This year, there are 12 Republican National Committee-sanctioned debates, though three have not been scheduled.

Team Clinton on GOP debate: no talk of 'the problems that keep you up at night' Read more

“There is a move within both committees, a bipartisan move, to have a fewer debates,”said Matt Dallek, assistant professor at the George Washington University’s graduate school of political management. “There was a sense in recent presidential election cycles that there just have been too many debate. Ideally, the parties would like to have their nominee wrapped up not too late into the process.”

The committee has said it negotiated with all of the declared candidates in the spring before the dates were announced. It has been reported that a part of the negotiations included convincing Clinton’s campaign to agree to as many as six in the first place while O’Malley’s campaign pushed for more.

Primary debates are consequential for candidates with lower name-recognition or fewer resources as a platform to introduce themselves and make their case to the American people, Dallek said. On the other hand, the unpredictable setting can pose risks for the leading candidate as he or she is challenged by the other contenders eager to make an impression.

But Dallek said he doesn’t see that dynamic at play in the Democratic primary yet.

“Frankly, at this point, given how bad this summer was for [Clinton], maybe more debates may not necessarily be a bad thing,” he said. “It could give her an unfiltered forum to talk directly to a lot of voters, and that could be helpful at this stage.”

In Washington on Wednesday, the demonstration outside DNC headquarters was peaceful – but the protesters were frustrated. In a few minutes millions of Americans would tune in to watch the second Republican primary debate while their candidates’ first debate – one of only six – is still weeks away.

“Republicans are completely dominating the national debate,” said Lis Smith, a spokeswoman for the O’Malley campaign told the Guardian at the protest. “Whether it’s hateful language toward women, toward unions, toward immigrants, we can’t allow people like Donald Trump to go unanswered.”

Trump flips on gun control to support national 'concealed carry' policy Read more

Meanwhile, the RNC is taking advantage of their lead time, having sponsored two records-smashing debates of their own, thanks to their party’s frontrunner, bombastic billionaire Donald Trump. Before the second debate began, the RNC made sure their followers were aware of the protest outside DNC headquarters.

“Right now we’re losing airtime to the Donald Trump show,” said Brock, the Sanders supporter who joined the protest Wednesday. “I think it’s all show. But if it’s going to be a show anyway, then why not have a few more showtimes?”

As the demonstration wrapped up, the second Republican primary debate began. Speaking into the microphone, an organizer invited everyone to a nearby bar to watch this “beautiful exercise in Democracy”.