Presidential debates are usually conducted with both candidates standing.
That may change now according to a recent Politico report that stated the new debate format for the upcoming head-to-head matchup between Biden and Sanders will have both candidates seated.
Why the Change?
When the possible change was announced, the Sanders campaign went ballistic.
Jeff Weaver, Senior Adviser for Bernie Sanders seemed to call Biden’s health into question.
He stated, “Why does Joe Biden not want to stand toe-to-toe with Sen. Sanders on the debate stage March 15 and have an opportunity to defend his record and articulate his vision for the future?”
The Biden campaign has denied asking for any special treatment.
Biden’s Deputy Campaign Manager, Kate Bedingfield, stated, “We will participate in whatever debate CNN chooses to stage: standing, sitting, at podiums, or in a town hall.
“The problem for the Sanders campaign is not the staging of the debate, but rather, the weakness of Sen. Sanders’ record and ideas.”
DNC Helping Biden?
Since we have never seen a debate format like this before, it is reasonable to ask why the changes are even being presented.
From our perspective, the DNC is clearly trying to help Joe Biden any way it can.
These debates have been a nightmare for Biden, who seems to grow tired as they go on as well as giving long-winded nonsensical answers.
It would seem as though the DNC is trying to help Biden with this small format change rather than expose his weakness.
The sad reality is that even the DNC sees that Biden is not all there, yet they continue to push a candidate that may be on the verge of dementia.
Sanders has every right to be mad here because it is proof that yet again, the establishment is doing everything it can to help one of their own while looking for ways to prevent Sanders from getting the nomination.