On August 2, Barack Obama said he will not debate, except in the three debates set up by the Commission on Presidential Debates. See this story. Thus, even the proposed Google debate, with a 10% polling requirement, will not happen. The Commission on Presidential Debates has a 15% polling requirement.
This is a cowardly move by Obama. He will not participate in the Google debates because they would include candidates like Bob Barr who polls at just around 10% but not at the required 15% needed for the CPD debates. This is just another maneuver by the Democrat and Republican parties to continue to monopolize media coverage and not let other candidates get their views presented to the public. The way these debates are exclusive must be changed. Until then the people are being robbed of the competition we deserve for the presidency.
The third parties should get together to sue the networks and cable stations that carry these very partisan debates and demand equal coverage – the corporations that owns the networks and cable outlets are giving multi-million dollar contributions to the McCain and Obama campaigns, and the CPD should be stopped and dismantled.
Just saw the movie “Swing Vote” starring Kevin Costner last night. THIS IS A MUST SEE FILM ! It gives perfect visual definitions of “pandering for votes” and “political whore”.
http://www.wnbc.com/entertainment/17036003/detail.html?rss=ny&psp=entertainment
SPOILERS:
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1) There is a very brief image of the electronic voting machine screen where the “3rd” party candidates are listed, but it wasn’t on long enough to read…will have to wait for the DVD,
2) Only the Repub and Dem candidates are included in the debate at the end.
McCain said he will actually show up at the New Orleans debate. Hopefully he won’t change his mind now that Obama backed out. Or will Google and company consider lowering the requirements if Obama chickens out?
More than 4,000 Americans have been killed in Iraq, and when the other excuses and/or reasons given for the invasion were shown to be … well, in error, anyway, the reason now being given for leaving the troops there in harm’s way is, We’re helping give the Iraqis democracy.
Very interesting.
We don’t even have democracy in this country.
Any new party or independent candidate is discriminated against, by the so-called “news” media and certainly by the governments and the politicians.
When a country has one party, it is denounced, and rightly so.
Is a mandated two parties much, if any, better?
The post above says that the Google debate will not happen. Is that speculation, or has Google given word that the show will not go on?
Google should consider going forward with the debate whether Obama participates or not. If he doesn’t, it is doubtful that McCain will. But then they should just scrap the 10% rule and make the debate a Nader vs. Barr (plus McKinney and Baldwin, perhaps) event.
The primary elections had large groups of candidates debating dozens of times. Why does our general election always have to carry such an anti-democratic vibe?
This is where the two-party system is truly vile — the D’s and R’s won’t even let the country have the same degree of open debate that they allow for themselves.
No one from Kostner’s office, Disney films, or Touchtone Productions have returned my voice mail. But if they had a brain cell in their head]s], they would be shipping money and buttons to any and all non Dem and non GOP sites around.
There’s months of advertising revenue out there. The corporate media [which I have mentioned dozens of times to Buena Vista] may not be the best place for advertizing of this flick!
The AP report says the Commission on Presidential Debates is nonpartisan. What a crock! The organization was jointly founded by Repubs and Dems and is run by the former chairs of the DNC and the RNC, and its entire purpose is to insulate the major party candidates from the need to participate in free and open debates with candidates other than themselves. It would be great if reporters would do just a little bit of homework so they wouldn’t repeat these obvious distortions. There’s a major difference between nonpartisan and bipartisan. See opendebates.org.
Why don’t the third party candidates run their own debate after the Commission’s Debate?
Gene is correct. The CPD is NOT non-partisan. It is bipartisan, which contrary to most peoples’ belief, is not the same thing.
Re: Green in Brooklyn
Several lawsuits have been filed during just about every election cycle. They are all dismissed.
Re: Joel
That has happend, but no one broadcasts it or watches.
I think there need to be a statement made that Obama and McCain are both yellow-bellied chickens!
It is of my opinion that the debates should be open, regardless of poll numbers, to all candidates who are on the ballot in enough states where the total number of electoral votes equal or exceed the number required for election (270).
ballot access shows support , debates are for getting votes
the fec and cpd need to be reformed
“On August 2, Barack Obama said he will not debate, except in the three debates set up by the Commission on Presidential Debates.”
Obama’s “new politics” looks an awful like the “old politics” that he won so many votes by denouncing, and “change” is just another buzz word.
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: Wherever these three “official” CPD debates are held, Barr, Baldwin, Nader and McKinney should all show up and, with their supporters, crash the stage demanding inclusion!! Everyone should be unafraid to get arrested over this. Who’s with me?
– DJ
Doremus – I agree that the debates need to be protested by the candidates and supporters. However. I don’t think it will be very effective. I was at the St Louis debate where Cobb and Badnarik got arrested trying to participate. I found one news story that mentioned the arrest of the presidential candidates of the two largest third parties for trying to exercise free speech. Incredible!
What if Google did the debate anyway but made it a debate for the 3rd party candidates? It would still get plenty of coverage since it’s sponsored by Google and Youtube and it’s better than not having these candidates in a debate at all.
Stephen: good point taken. Google and YouTube can still have the debate with only 3rd party candidates. So, that means Baldwin, Nader, Barr, McKinney and Moore.
There will be an “Alternative Debate” at Vanderbilt University on October 6; I’m not sure which candidates will be there besides Charles Jay.