ABC Democratic Debate: Live Coverage

Nate, I don’t really think so. She’s not in real danger of losing the nomination, and most swing voters aren’t paying attention now. Clinton is just trying to play out the clock, and the debates don’t really help her do that.

Nate, I think Clinton would definitely have benefitted from a more prominent debate schedule. But all of the Democrats would have. If there was a fear of internal conflict, it would have been far overshadowed by differences with the GOP field.

So, as lots of folks have pointed out, these debates have not exactly been timed to maximize viewership. And it seems fair enough to conclude that the process was designed for the benefit of Hillary Clinton, who has every reason to be risk-averse given her strong position in the race. My question is this: In retrospect, would Clinton have benefited from more debates, or better TV slots for them? She’s pretty sharp in these things and it’s one of the only chances voters get to see her without the media filter.