Blurts & Spasms

Let's do some simple math:

1) The DNC has decided to have CNN host the first Democratic debate.

2) Only 70% of U.S. households have cable subscriptions, and that number is falling quickly - especially among younger viewers - to standalone broadband streaming services; according to the research firm SNL Kegan, the "cord-cutters" and "cord-nevers" are a rapidly growing demographic.

3) Cable subscriptions are even less common among minorities and the voting poor.

4) CNNGo, CNN's TV Anywhere service, is only available to cable subscribers, and has not yet followed standalone streaming subscription models (a la HBO, CBS, etc.). But, even if it were available as a standalone, this would require a computer or other streaming device, again eliminating the voting poor from the equation.

So, essentially, the DNC has clearly and loudly decided that young people, minorities and the poor don't need to see this debate, even though these groups are essential demographics in the Democratic party's voting base (see https://www.debt.org/faqs/americans-in-debt/economic-demographics-democrats/).

I have the distinct sense that, like their current frontrunner Hilary Clinton, the DNC is happy to emphasize quid-pro-quo arrangements with Corporate America. In fact, perhaps it is the DNC's tacit support of Hilary that led to their choice to have CNN be the exclusive broadcaster of this first debate. After all, they wouldn't want Bernie Sanders, so popular among young people with less access to CNN, to fuel his positive momentum.

As of this writing, it appears that six of the ten Republican debates, along with four of the Democratic debates, will be freely available via broadcast television. But if either party wanted to provide "a bigger tent," then all of the debates should have been freely accessible to everyone in the U.S.. For Democrats, this was a lost opportunity to demonstrate a meaningful difference in their promotion of a more liberal democracy. So...shame on the DNC says I.

(For additional data regarding U.S. media access, see http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/United-States/Media, https://www.ncta.com/industry-data and http://usfinancepost.com/changing-demographics-may-put-comcast-nasdaqcmcsa-out-of-its-cable-tv-business-9998.html.)