O’Malley on Lack of Dem Debates: ‘What Have We Come To as a Party?’
O'Malley on Lack of Dem Debates: "What Have We Come To As A Party? It's Ridiculous" (RealClearPolitics)
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, MORNING JOE: We were in Cleveland. We had Debbie Wasserman Schultz on talking about the Democratic debate. She said they're fair, they're not a coronation. I also see these debates as a way for guys like you to shine. Do you think the way it's planned is fair?
FMR. GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY (D-MD): I don't think it's fair. I think that the people of New Hampshire deserve more than one debate before they make their decision. I think the people of Iowa deserve more than one debate, and I think for the DNC is trying to insert itself into this process. To try to shut off debate is a terrible disservice to the process and most importantly to the American people.
I mean, we face a lot of big challenges as a country, and our party actually has solutions to these challenges and we need to have robust debates. We should stop delaying the debate schedule. We should get our candidates on the stage and let the people see what each of us has to offer by way of ideas that will move our country forward and get incomes to go up again instead of down.
BRZEZINSKI: How many debates would you like to see?
O'MALLEY: Certainly, there must be a happy medium between the 20 debates we had last time and the one that the DNC would like to restrict Iowa to, the one they would like to restrict New Hampshire to. So, I would think three debates in both of those early states would be a lot preferable than limiting it to just one debate. What have we come to as a party, Mika, where we can only afford one debate in New Hampshire before this decision? It's ridiculous.
I'm going to go to as many debates as I can. I'm here in Iowa today. We're rolling out 15 goals for our country that will rebuild the American dream; get incomes to go up again; increase average families' median income in the United States, over the next -- by 25%, over $25,000, over the next ten years. These are the things like debt-free college, clean energy future. These are the actions and proposals that will actually move our country forward and help American families. That's what the debates should be about: the ideas that serve our national interests.
