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WATCH: 2020 Democrat Hits DNC For ‘Stifling Debate’ And ‘Rewarding Celebrity Candidates’

   DailyWire.com
Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, listens during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. Perez said U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration proposals will hurt the economy.
Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Presidential candidate Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) scolded the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Friday for impeding the primary process in a way that prevents a party-wide conversation on issues.

“I am proud to be a Democrat and I stand here grateful for the work that you do, day in and day out, to strengthen our party,” Bennet told a crowd at the DNC’s annual summer meeting. “I’m ready to lead our party and our country to victory next November.”

“But I’ve got to be honest — and I say it with love – the DNC process is stifling debate at a time when we need it the most,” he continued. “We’re rewarding celebrity candidates with millions of Twitter followers, billionaires who buy their way onto the debate stage, and candidates who have been running for president for years.”

Bennet argued that the DNC’s determined method of choosing a presidential nominee is skewed in favor of popularity over substance.

“It forces campaigns to fork over millions of dollars to Facebook,” Bennet said, “the same platform that let the Russians interfere in 2016, instead of harnessing the resources to talk to voters.”

“[Washington Governor] Jay Inslee dropped out of this race, not just because he didn’t qualify for the third debate, but because he didn’t qualify for the climate change town hall,” he continued. “Think about that for a moment — the climate change candidate didn’t qualify for the climate change town hall.”

Accordingly, Inslee announced on Wednesday that he was officially ending his presidential campaign after struggling to meet the threshold for a series of upcoming debates. The DNC has been facing backlash for imposing such a high barrier to entry to appear on the stage.

In order to qualify for the Democratic primary debate stage, presidential candidates must raise campaign donations from no less than 130,000 individual donors and receive at least 2% of the vote in 4 or more polls that have been pre-approved by the DNC.

Bennet’s remarks come the same day that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s (D-HI) campaign slammed the DNC for instituting criteria that are unfairly harmful to her presidential run and abdicating its responsibility to “facilitate more conversations.” The campaign further urged the party to “hold true to their promise and make adjustments to the process now to ensure transparency and fairness.”

“Crucial decisions on debate qualifications that impact the right of the American people to have the opportunity to participate fully in the Democratic process should not be made in secret by party bosses,” the Gabbard campaign wrote in a press release. “For the same of democracy, these decisions must be made openly with clear and consistent standards and a sufficient window of opportunity for candidates to demonstrate genuine grassroots momentum and enthusiasm.”

“If we wanted to be the party that excluded people, we would be Republicans,” Bennet said. “These rules have created exactly the wrong outcomes, and they will not help us beat [President] Donald Trump.”

“I’m not going to be on the debate stage next month, but I am going to be out in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada building a constituency for change this country needs,” he added.

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