CNN’s Jake Tapper hit the nail on the head when he said the reason the DNC has held a limited number of presidential debates is because of one reason – to protect and help Democratic presidential candidate frontrunner Hilary Clinton.
During a CNN panel discussion on Friday afternoon's CNN Newsroom on the Bernie Sanders campaign snafu regarding a breach of voter data, Tapper told Wolf Blitzer that although the Sanders campaign is guilty of the breach by their own admission - they do have legitimate concerns with the DNC, and pointed out that the debates have “been scheduled on Saturday nights, when viewership is the smallest.”
For their part, the DNC maintains the debates are limited in order for voters to view the candidates in different forums (which makes no sense.)
TAPPER: One, the Sanders campaign is the one at fault here. I mean, their staffer is the one who, by their own admission, breached what — this data and improperly looked at it. Now that said, does the Sanders campaign have legitimate gripes when it comes to the DNC? Absolutely. I don't know anybody in Washington who disagree with that. The idea that the number of debates has been limited, and they’ve been scheduled on Saturday nights, when viewership is the smallest, the audience is the smallest. There’s going to be one again this Saturday night. These are on networks, and yet the ones — the debates that the cable has put on, during the week have been much, much higher, even the Democratic debates, the one Anderson hosted. It’s nothing — it’s just — it is what it is. They are trying to have a small audience.
Blitzer responded to Tapper by noting the accusation "against Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC is they're trying, at least indirectly, to promote Hillary Clinton's campaign." Tapper added, “There’s no other reason to do it. Now, I happen to think that that actually isn't smart for any number of reasons. One, it gives Sanders and O'Malley a reason to complain, a legitimate reason to complain, that everybody in Washington can say, well, it makes sense. And, two, I actually think Hillary Clinton's a pretty good debater.”
By the end of 2007 in the Democratic primary, there had been seventeen debates. This year? Three, two of them buried on Saturday nights.
