Dems will hold just one debate next month

Ten Democrats have qualified for the next Democratic presidential debate to be held in mid-September. The ten are: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke, Andrew Yang, Julian Castro, and Amy Klobuchar.

Because no more than ten candidates qualified, there will be just one debate. This means that, for the first time, Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, the two candidates most likely to be nominated, will appear on the same debate stage. It also means limited time and exposure, especially for the lesser candidates among the ten.

What about the candidates who didn’t make the cut? From my perspective, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that billionaire leftist Tom Steyer was unable to buy his way in. He hopes to make the October debate, though.

In other good news, we won’t have to suffer through another Bill de Blasio performance. And Jay Inslee, who has dropped out of the race, won’t be able to repeat his one-note climate change shtick.

The bad news is that Tulsi Gabbard won’t be on the stage. Unlike the vast majority of the field, she provided a distinctive voice in the debates. Gabbard says she’ll remain in the race. Perhaps she will qualify for the October debate. However, Gabbard has already performed her highest and best use — taking Kamala Harris down and perhaps out.

It’s also bad news that John Delaney, the sole voice of reason, won’t be present. And I’ll miss the comedy stylings of Marianne Williamson.

Kirsten Gillibrand won’t be missed. Having failed to make the stage, she dropped out of the race yesterday. Her explanation was appropriately pompous: “It’s not my time.”

There was never any reason to believe this was Gillibrand’s time, as I explained the day she entered the race.

President Trump put an exclamation point on Gillibrand’s pathetic run with this tweet:

A sad day for the Democrats. Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out of the Presidential Primary. I’m glad they never found out that she was the one I was really afraid of!

Unpresidential? Yes, but also humorous.

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