What prevents Bernie, Martin, etc. from setting up their own set of debates?

[pnwmom]

If the DNC kicks them ALL out of the official debates, so what?

Hillary would be left in there, debating herself.

All the attention would then be on the non-DNC debates. So I can't see the DNC making that choice.

So what is standing in the way? I think it's Bernie. He wants to debate Hillary, and he is doing just fine campaigning without early debates (unlike the other candidates). So he isn't going to join Martin and the others in setting up their own series of debates.

That's why I don't think there will be more debates. Not just Hillary, but Bernie has decided that he's better off just attending the 6 DNC debates.

[seabeyond]

1. i thought i heard an agreement they could not. but not sure. that was at the start

of the argument about number of debates.

[pnwmom]

2. They couldn't because if they did they'd be kicked out of the "official" debates.

But so what? If they set up their own set of debates, wouldn't the press cover them?

[SonderWoman]

3. How many 3rd party presidents have we ever had?

Exactly.

[pnwmom]

4. Kicking him out of the debates does not mean kicking him out of the party.

They can set restrictions on the debate but they can't prevent him from running as a Dem.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

5. The challenger always wants more debates than the front runner.

DWS being in the bag for Clinton is MUCH more likely--there's evidence and everything. Your hypothesis is counterintuitive.

[pnwmom]

6. Why don't they just set up their own debates? You haven't addressed my question.

They don't need to include Hillary if she doesn't want to debate. They could get 12 debates worth of exposure, or as much as they wanted, and she'd just be left out.

So why don't they just do it? If they joined together they could.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Because Hillary wouldn't be held accountable.

A good debate is an on the spot verbal duel between opposing ideas and policies.

If the DNC chair truly had faith in both Hillary Clinton and the strength of their arguments, they would be all for many and early debates as both a sharpening tool to test their beliefs and a counter against continuous clown car exposure on the Republican side.