A
lot of people have questioned the exclusion of Third Party candidates
from the Presidential Debates. The Debates Commission that sets the
rules is, of course, controlled by Republicans and Democrats who don't
want their exclusive hegemony challenged.
Tough
luck, guys. It's being challenged.
The
Committee on Presidential Debates is responding to public criticism
by disseminating blatant misinformation
in a pathetic attempt to make themselves appear to be the good guys.
Are
the Elections Rigged?
FAIR,
Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting, is beginning to wonder if the coming
election isn't rigged in favor of the two major parties. They're calling
for everyone who believes in fair elections to protest the Third Party
candidates exclusion from the coming Presidential Debates. Read their
Action Alert
for more on this important issue.
Debates
Without Minor Candidates a Major Omission
The Columbus (OH) Dispatch
The
Green Party's Ralph "Government is God'' Nader and Libertarian Harry
"Government is Satan'' Browne would transform the debate into a phenomenon
of biblical proportion.
Nader
and Browne, however, haven't been invited. They might make Gore and
Bush look like, well, Gore and Bush - an embarrassing proposition for
our great republic.
The
Debate Over Debates is On
CNN
Participants
call it an exercise in frustration, bluffing, conniving, outright bickering
and unintended hilarity. They fight over the pickiest details, like
what the audience should wear.
The
pre-debate debate is in full cry again now, with Al Gore accepting invitations
by the dozen, Bush languidly concluding "three is plenty" and both sides
bidding for public relations advantage from the mere process of deciding
when and how the two men will meet.
We
noticed the conspicuous absence of Nader, Buchanan, Hagelin and Browne
anywhere in this article. Do they think Gore and Bush are the only ones
running for President?
Debates
Should Include
Third Party Candidates
Reuters: Yahoo
Third
party presidential candidates may trail in the polls but a majority
of Americans say they should be allowed to participate in televised
debates, according to a recent nationwide poll. A Zogby America survey
of 842 likely voters showed that Green party presidential nominee Ralph
Nader and Pat Buchanan, one of two rival candidates for the Reform Party
nod, should be allowed to debate alongside the Republican and Democratic
candidates despite low poll numbers.
Make
Your Voice Heard
in the Presidential Debates
b!X,
the relentless imagination behind GEEK
Force, and one of our favorite contributors, posted the following
suggestion on a discussion list to which yr Ed-in-Chief subscribes:
The
"Nonpartisan" Commission on Presidential Debates, in a hypocritical
move, is inviting Americans to suggest debate questions -- GEEK Force
suggests this one: Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush, why aren't Mr. Nader or Mr.
Buchanan up here with you, despite polls saying a majority of Americans
wish they were?
In
fact, if you can stomach getting thru the whole survey, this IS a space
for you to put in your own question. So everyone should go and stomach
the survey in order to paste this in, exactly as it is, so they get
lots of the same one:
Mr.
Gore and Mr. Bush, why aren't Mr. Nader or Mr. Buchanan up here with
you, despite polls saying a majority of Americans wish they were?
Read
all about it in PRNewswire,
then go to the Commission
on Presidential Debates website and make your voice heard.
You can also skip the CPD introduction and go directly to the survey.
Let
Third Party Candidates
Into the Presidential Debates
Here's
something else you can do right now:
E-mail
Paul Kirk and Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chairmen of the Commission on Presidential
Debates, and ask them to change their rules and allow presidential candidates
with 5% support in national polls to participate in the debates. The
volume of e-mail the Commission receives on this issue is critical.
The co-chairs of the Commission are presented with a weekly report on
the amount and nature of incoming e-mail.
And
here's something else you can do:
The
Green Party has started circulating a petition
to open up the debates. Go sign it if you believe in fairness.
For
more info, click
here.
