In a characteristic display of collaborationism --

the DNC bans all candidates who have participated in climate-change-focused debates from participating in future debates.

Courthouse News:

The party said it would not only refuse to focus one of its Democratic primary debates on the climate crisis, but also that it would bar Inslee from future primary debates if he participates in a climate debate hosted by a different organization, according Inslee’s campaign.

Grist:

Not only did the the party’s leadership say there will be no climate debate, in a statement, the Washington governor said that he was told that if he participates in any non-DNC-affiliated debate, he will not be invited to future debates held by the committee.

First off, this idea that you gain some kind of credibility on issues by running for President as a Democrat should be dismissed for the nonsense it is. These folks have to play by DNC rules if they wish to be invited to the important parties. They are already co-opted.

Secondly, as Donald Trump rolls back the government's efforts to measure the climate, the DNC keeps serious climate change debate out of its debates. We can all sit back, then, and watch as the DNC handicaps its candidates on the other issues as well.

We need to be using this term "collaborationism" more often. The DNC played a critical role in the Democratic loss of 900 state legislative seats to the Republicans under Obama. This is their role: to play at faux opposition, keeping everyone quiet, while the Republicans win.

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Pricknick's picture

You all can stick with either party. You can try to change them from the inside.
Hell. You could also forgo voting. After all, you're going to get what somebody else paid for.
Vote local. Make that your purpose. Change what is within reach.
Stand back and realize that you have no voice in national elections. Set yourself on fire because it won't change a thing.
Fuck it. I'm done worrying about what will happen without my lonesome vote.
Embrace what you can do. Worry not about what you can't.
Listen to what mother nature is telling you. Listen to what she has to say. Stop encouraging your children to have more.
Make the best of the suck that is to come.
Rant off.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

snoopydawg's picture

This should tell every person who thinks that the democrats are going to do sh*t for any issues that people want them to focus on. Climate change is one of the biggest issues that people are worried about and yet here's the democrats telling them that it's not important for them to waste their time on.

Inslee has no chance of winning the primary so he and the others that don't have a chance should just do a debate anyway. They can do it after the second or third debate and tell people that they were forbidden to do it.

Democrats have passed lots of bills that they know McConnell won't let come up for a vote, but boy doesn't that make it seem like they have been working on legislation to make our lives better? They passed a dream act today that has no chance of Trump signing it, but they are getting lots of accolades for doing it. It's just too bad that they didn't accept Trump's off to sign one two years ago. Now why didn't they do that?

Here's the historical dream act that the democrats passed in the house that will die in the senate.

The democrats finally pass the dream act

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Centaurea's picture

Every time the DNC does this kind of thing, their corruption, superficiality, and plain old nastiness become more and more apparent to everyone. They've been shooting themselves in the foot so often, pretty soon they won't have any feet left.

They're not even pretending to be "fair" anymore. They're being bullies openly and blatantly. I think this is a good sign for progressives. The Dem establishment doesn't have anything else left to fight with.

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
~ attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte

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"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

@Centaurea

oh, that is really funny.

without a foot to stand on.

lol

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The Liberal Moonbat's picture

All this time we thought they were just weak or disorganized...but they never even INTENDED to be what they sold themselves to us as!

"Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by stupidity"...well, it's no longer adequate.

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In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

SnappleBC's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

One look at someone like Obama tells me he is intelligent, capable, and effective. Further, it's hard to say that all those people in DC who are millionaires serving the elite are stupid. Nope, I've assumed since 2012 that everything I see is deliberate and planned. Take the disaster that is #Russiagate, for instance. That was not an accident and they weren't "stupid" to think that Russia interfered with our elections. In fact, they DON'T think that.

Long ago I understood that these were people who were average or above for the most part and they are just lying.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

Centaurea's picture

@SnappleBC sociopaths and psychopaths.

They lie. Their lies hurt a lot of people, as well as hurting the US itself. And they don't care.

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"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi

"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone

denying climate change and refusing to openly discuss climate change?
Not much.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

skod's picture

@on the cusp That is all.

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@skod Likewise.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

travelerxxx's picture

@Fishtroller 02

I'd say this is another litmus test for Sanders, who should join Inslee (and anyone else who wants to participate) in a climate-focused "debate," whether hosted by the DNC or not. Sanders is probably the only candidate who can force the DNC's hand on this. After all, can you imagine the uproar if they ban Sanders from their future debate stages due to his participation in a non-DNC climate debate?

My prediction of Sanders response: crickets.

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@travelerxxx

Actually I thought he'd do the crickets thing with the Assange situation, but he came through.

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

travelerxxx's picture

@Fishtroller 02

I hope I'm wrong about the crickets, also. Still, if I were putting my cash up, I'm not so sure I'd wager that way.

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@travelerxxx

The progressive campaign to pressure the DNC to hold its first-ever sanctioned climate change debate first took shape in April. I originally reported that a number of groups, including Friends of the Earth, Credo Action, Greenpeace, Sunrise Movement, and 350.org, planned to ramp up the pressure on the DNC to finally devote the primetime opportunity to an issue that got short-shrift in the last cycle. Since then, about a dozen candidates, including Inslee, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Beto O’Rourke have joined the call.

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

Steven D's picture

lives!

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

ZimInSeattle's picture

They hamstring their own candidates, rig primaries, lose 1000 plus seats in state and federal government under neolibcon Obummer, provide 'resistance' to progressive legislation, and assistance to Trump and GOP with regime change in Venezuela and Iran, and fill the pockets of their MIC/Fossil Fuel owner oligarchs. The Democratic Party is a joke. Rethugs and DemonCrats - "Two wings of the same bird of prey" Upton Sinclair, 1904. Nothing has changed.

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"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020

snoopydawg's picture

@ZimInSeattle

lose 1000 plus seats in state and federal government under neolibcon Obummer

That people stayed home during the midterms means that they let the democrats down. If you say that they were the ones that let us down then you're very wrong. No matter how many times they don't do what they say they would it's still your duty to vote for them.

The midterms were a direct reflection on Obama becoming an empty suit president by hiding behind the republicans obstructionism. "He would have been a great president if the republicans hadn't blocked him from passing his legislation." Obama showed up at the republicans strip poker games with his shirt off and his pants unbuckled.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

ZimInSeattle's picture

@snoopydawg The people let the Democrats down? I beg to differ. My recollection is Obama hiring Geithner & Summers off the pre-approved list from CitiGroup, inheriting 2 wars and leaving us with 7, failing to re-negotiate NAFTA as promised, and forcefully marketing the TPP. If anything the Democrats led by Obama let the people down. Their neoliberal policies have resulted in Trump.

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"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JFK | "The more I see of the moneyed peoples, the more I understand the guillotine." - G. B. Shaw Bernie/Tulsi 2020

dystopian's picture

It was great that Inslee forced their hand on the issue so they had to go on record with their position. Which is that they do not want any of their establishment milquetoast lackey candidates to have to go on record on the issue. As big of an issue as there is today. They don't want to talk about it. Should tell everyone all they need to know about the DNC. In case losing a thousand legislative seats didn't make it clear.

It would be nice to see Bernie, Tulsi, Gravel, etc. go on record against the DNC's decision to not have candidate positions on climate known. Since they (dnc) have to hide where they are already committed.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein