Norms: Biden Campaign Informs Commission of Presidential Debates It's Out of Step

As Twitchy reported earlier, President Joe Biden released a video (that was 13 seconds long and had at least five edits) challenging Donald Trump to a debate: "Well, make my day, pal," he taunted.

Remarkably, CNN already has a debate scheduled for June 27, almost as if it were coordinated. The debate will not be hosted by the Commission of Presidential Debates, a huge break in norms — instead, it will be done according to the Biden camp's demands, including no audience, no Robert F. Kennedy Jr., moderators must be from CBS, ABC, CNN or Telemundo, and Trump's mic will be cut off while Biden speaks. Trump has accepted nonetheless.

Why go around the Commission of Presidential Debates? Well, for one thing, Kennedy would be eligible to participate, and he might siphon votes away from Biden. The Biden-Harris campaign sent a letter to the commission with a lengthy explanation of why Biden wouldn't be participating in the Commission of Presidential Debates' announced dates in 2024.

So Biden wants 2 debates instead of the traditional 3 and also wants them much earlier, which makes them less impactful? It's consistent with his strategic incentives, which are that he can't be seen as ducking debates but he's not particularly confident he'll win.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) May 15, 2024

If you're confident you'll win the debates, you'd ask for 2 early debates *in addition* to the 3 late ones. At least as a bargaining position.
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) May 15, 2024

All right, what does the letter say? "The Commission's model of building huge spectacles with large audiences at great expense simply isn't necessary or conducive to good debates." So no audience, then. The campaign goes all the way back to the original televised debates in 1960 as "a better, more cost-efficient way to proceed."

Also, the commission "was unable or unwilling to enforce the rules in the 2020 debates."

Come on, man.

The Biden campaign understands that dementia is not a winning formula for debates.

Unfortunately, the Biden campaign does not understand that also dementia is not a winning formula for elections and presidencies.
— Richard H. Ebright (@R_H_Ebright) May 15, 2024

It was painfully obvious to anyone watching they were going to try something like this, which makes reading this way more cringe.
— ragekage 🛡️🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@KG76554) May 15, 2024

More difficult to rig those debates in his favor.
— QuestionEverything (@Samson09724274) May 15, 2024

@BidenHQ is terribly afraid of a debate that includes Robert F Kennedy Jr.

That’s the real reason they’re running from the Commission.
— Mark Starrett 🇺🇸 (@MTStarrett) May 15, 2024

Exactly.

Funny reading all these diehard Biden voters. I didn’t think they existed anymore. There should be three debates for those that want to actually hear if they are competent. These are the most important debates we have ever had. Also RFK, jr. better be in these debates!
— jeffmcmorris (@jeffmcmorris) May 15, 2024

Good take, sir.

Too bad there’s no use trying to reason with crazy, though.
— Proof-of-Alex (@proof_of_alex) May 15, 2024

Donna Brazile wasn’t available
— Dad of the Desert (@DadoftheDesert) May 15, 2024

I am not sure how much he will like when Trump and RFK Jr. debate without him.
— Gerry (@GerryDales) May 15, 2024

We would really like to see Kennedy up at the podium with the other two candidates. He's earned his place there, but Biden's campaign won't allow it. We thought we were fighting against the end of democracy and instead we're getting candidates frozen out and taken off of the ballot.

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