I don't think Democrats are all that intellectual. There is nothing they care to debate, or even hear debated. Republicans are interested in what's going on, and who has a plan, and why they believe their plan will work.
Democrats are more emotional. They just see something they don't like, and run around screaming about it. Doesn't matter if the guy attacked a police officer, or even reached for his gun... what matters is, it was another case of police brutality and we're going to scream and yell about racism and blaw blaw blaw.
There is no "thinking" involved in this. Thus the Democrat debate is a waste of time. As one said.... they're bored already. They have to have more pictures, and videos, and emotional cry and scream fests. The DNC needs to threaten that senior citizens are going to be beaten with sticks and thrown out on the street, like I remember them screaming in the 90s, which is how Clinton got in office.
You need to have more emotional slogans, and pictures of the president as a demi-gawd, like Obama's "Yes we can!" and "Believe"... and him with a halo around his head.....
If the DNC get's back to it's rhetoric and empty promises, combined with slick advertising and propaganda.... they will start paying attention to the debates.