[ActresponsiblyinVA]

Rules do not apply to Democrats.

[Zhang Fei]

[Rules do not apply to Democrats.]

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The rules were set out, not to create an exclusive club, but to whittle down the debates to a manageable set of people who are serious contenders, instead of having 50 people on the debate stage. So from that perspective, it’s completely understandable that Bloomberg would be on that stage. Note that they are including Bloomberg not as a favor to him, but so the other candidates can take pot shots at him, and perhaps knock him down.

It would perhaps be better for Bloomberg if he had not been asked to join the debates. But to refuse an invitation would have reeked of cowardice. Is Trump worse off for having canceled routine press conferences, where journalists got to editorialize at his expense? Bottom line is that being in the debates increases the chance that Bloomberg will say something off-message that negatively affects his campaign that his avalanche of ads and armies of GOTV workers will never do. In other words, being in the debates is a poisoned chalice.