Democrats Facing 2016 Debate Dilemma

The National Journal reports:

Democrats are facing a growing logistical dilemma as their planning for the next presidential election gets underway: They need to start organizing a process for presidential primary debates, but there aren't any candidates to invite. And with Hillary Clinton likely to clear the field of serious competition, she may want to avoid debating her opposition altogether.

National Democrats have begun the process of planning for primary debates, but they stress that everything is in the very early stages. Top Democratic National Committee aides are in touch with interested TV networks and potential cosponsoring groups to discuss dates and formats, as well as with representatives of all prospective 2016 Democratic candidates.

But how many debates, where and when they're held, and what they look like depend entirely on which Democrats end up getting into the race—and if Clinton faces second-tier opposition, there's a chance there won't be any debates. Unlike with Republicans, who have long known the likelihood of a big field and could plan their debates accordingly, the Democrats' process has always been more uncertain.

Initial conversations about the next year's debate schedule have taken place, but party officials acknowledge the details won't be ironed out until it's clear who's running and who isn't.

The vanishing act.