Former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley lashed out at the leadership of the Democratic party for what he termed a "rigged" debate process and demanded that the DNC sanction more debates.

His diatribe was recieved with stony silence by DNC head Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other committee members.

Washington Post:

O'Malley, who has struggled to gain traction in the polls this summer, used his appearance before the Democratic National Committee meeting to angrily denounce the party's rules that he argued were a disadvantage to all the candidates and a disservice to Democrats.

"This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before," O'Malley said. He added, "We are the Democratic Party, not the undemocratic party."

Despite public objections from O'Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who have called for more debates, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz has sanctioned six debates, only four before next February's Iowa caucuses.

O'Malley, speaking from the DNC dais with Wasserman-Schultz sitting a few feet to his left, slammed what he called a "cynical move to delay or limit our own party debates."

"Who’s decree is this exactly? Where did it come from? To what end or purpose?" O'Malley asked. He added, "We put our forward-thinking ideas on the back-burner as if we're trying to hide them from the airwaves."

O'Malley made no reference to the Democratic front-runner, former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, but it was clear in his remarks that he believes fewer debates make it more difficult for him and other challengers to defeat Clinton for the nomination.

O'Malley argued that with Donald Trump and other Republican candidates making headlines with inflammatory rhetoric, Democrats should hold more, not fewer, debates.

"Will we let the circus run unchallenged on every channel while we cower in shadows under a decree of silence in the ranks? Or will we demand equal time to showcase our ideas?" O'Malley asked. He added, "Silence and complacency in the face of hate is not an honorable option for the Democratic Party."

O'Malley can't get any traction in the polls because he's boring and has no new ideas – pretty much the problem with all Democrats running for president.  Advocating that we raise taxes and spend more money is so out of tune with the electorate that you have to wonder whether all the Democrats are running for president of the U.S. on planet Earth or perhaps some other celestial body.

It's true the Dems could use a couple more debates, but six is a reasonable number, so you wouldn't expect the DNC to change their minds anyway.  What O'Malley needs more than exposure during a debate is an issue that will set his campaign apart from the rest – including Clinton.  He has tried to move closer to Sanders on the left, but he is mistrusted by liberals for his center-left governance of Maryland.  And he is setting no hearts aflutter among leftists for his watered down socialist proposals.

Even if the Clinton campaign were to collapse, the party would not turn to O'Malley to save them.  He made sure of that with his performance before the DNC yesterday.