DNC Chair Shouted Down at NH Democratic Convention

The primary debate schedule continues to cause a stir among some Democrats. At New Hampshire’s Democratic Convention, attendees let DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz know just how unhappy they are. Most of them are supporters of Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Lincoln Chafee—candidates they feel are being shortchanged by the Chair’s decision to hold only six sanctioned debates, as well as barring candidates from debating outside of the DNC’s sphere.

With chants of “We want debates!” drowning her speech, Wasserman Schultz attempted to control the crowd, stopping to quip

“What’s more important? Focusing on Republicans or arguing debates?”

 

“We want debates!” At the NH Democratic Convention during @DWStweets pic.twitter.com/P0fHq1DmgS

— Amanda Becker (@AmandaBecker) September 19, 2015

“We have six debates, which are about the same number we had in ’04 and in ’08, when we had an open primary.” Wasserman Schultz told The Daily Caller. “We believe strongly that six debates coupled with other opportunities that candidates will have to engage in forums and town hall meetings — that it is important to have our candidates in a variety of settings and not take them off the campaign trail,”  

“We want debates” cry drowns out DNC chair. #FITN #nhpolitics pic.twitter.com/fG64gzEfSk — Dan Tuohy (@tuohy) September 19, 2015

Critics of the debate schedule organize through the #AllowDebate hashtag, staging protests and packing DNC events with supporters. Despite Wasserman Schultz’s claim that previous primary elections held a similar number of debates, neither ’08 or ’04 barred contenders from debating outside of the DNC sanctioned events. Last month, Martin O’Malley blasted the debate schedule at the DNC’s summer meeting in Minneapolis, calling it “rigged”.

“While the Republicans put their backwards ideas forward before an audience of more than 20 million Americans, we put our forward-thinking ideas on the backburner,” O’Malley said.

“How does this help us tell the story of the last eight years of Democratic progress? How does this promote our Democratic ideas for making wages and household incomes go up again and not down?How does this help us make our case to the people? One debate in Iowa. That’s it? One debate in New Hampshire. That’s all we can afford?”