Debate Time: Maybe the Florida Democratic Party Will Listen to the Miami Herald

The rigid Florida Democratic Party leadership can climb all over Kartik Krishnaiyer's The Florida Squeeze for failing to embrace Charlie Crist before Crist debates Nan Rich, but now look -- The Miami Herald is saying the same thing:

Debate Nan Rich.

In fact, the newspaper said the same thing two months ago.

What will party hardliners' comeback to the Herald be after its Monday editorial, "Make a date to debate, Charlie Crist"? Are they going to try to sink the Herald, too, as they vowed to do toKrishnaiyer? Of course not.

"Ms. Rich is an accomplished former state senator from Weston and a true-blue Democrat," the Herald editorial said. "Shes also the underdog, the long shot. But for some reason, Mr. Crist, a newly minted Democrat whos running hard to regain his job as governor, is also running in the other direction when it comes to stepping up and debating Nan Rich for all the world to see."

The Herald had words for the party: "... the Florida Democratic Party is giving Mr. Crist undeserved cover."

And it had words for Crist: "Not only is his rebuff of a Crist-Rich debate unseemly, it has handed the Republican Party of Florida the ammunition with which to attack him. Makes no sense. Neither did the trial balloon he sent up a few weeks ago, announcing that he was considering a trip to Cuba. He has postponed it. Now that he has a little extra time, he should deign to debate Nan Rich."

It's time for the party to do to the no-debate dogma what it did to the Cuba trip. Ditch it.

If Crist is "for the people," show it. Stop hassling dissenters, make a Democratic primary debate, televised statewise, a priority. Get it over with.