As of Thursday evening, virtually no one knows if John McCain will participate in the first presidential debate set for Friday evening in Oxford, Mississippi. Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, and a former Republican Party national chair, said in an interview with Salon, “The law requires that there must be two candidates for a debate. If we did anything else, we would be making an in-kind contribution to the Obama campaign.” Of course, what he really meant is that there must be at least two candidates in a debate. In 1980, when the League of Women Voters was hosting presidential debates, the League invited President Jimmy Carter, Republican nominee Ronald Reagan, and independent candidate John B. Anderson. Carter refused to participate, so the debate was conducted between Anderson and Reagan. Both did well and neither damaged himself. Later in the season there was one Reagan-Carter debate, on October 26.
Daily Kos, on Thursday evening, invited comments on the subject of “Whom should Obama debate?” (if McCain doesn’t participate). One commenter at 7:09 p.m. Pacific time said, “Why not let Bob Barr, Ralph Nader, and Cynthia McKinney debate Obama? It couldn’t hurt to hear their positions, and Obama would benefit by reaching out toward left-leaning independents with the gesture.”
Another commenter, at 7:16 p.m., said, “It couldn’t hurt to hear their positions? Yes it could. I am in full agreement that we need to reach out to all voters — specially those who feel let down by Obama’s bouts of centrist triangulation. We won’t get them by including those three…if it is outreach we need, we already know how to do that. Giving these people a forum they would otherwise never have gained does us no good at all. The risks of Obama looking bad in such an encounter are also far too great.”
Still another commenter, at 7:12 p.m., said, “Ralph Nader. Except that would be a real debate and the network would never allow that.”
Democracy is about choices, we deserve to hear the ideas of each viable candidate this year, especially Ralph Nader. He’s spent his entire career fighting to better our country, and the partisan and corporate controlled CPD is the only reason the third party candidates are not allowed to debate, and that’s a complete injustice. Not allowing them to debate would be the equivalent of telling the Tampa Bay Rays not to play this year so the Red Sox can win. Everyone deserves a chances, especially when they have new and innovative ideas.
Let David Letterman debate and present alternate views. Or invite any Republican off the street to come to sit in for absentee McLier
Bob Barr. He’s more attractive to the Right, so it would be more balanced.
Chuck Baldwin. It will get his ideas out to those who would be receptive, and it is unlikely that he would take anthing away from Obama, because people who like Baldwin probably are not wont to vote for Obama anyway.
If Obama doesn’t have the guts to face Nader and Barr, what chance would he have trying to stand up to the likes of Putin and Ahmedinejad?
Not going to happen. Obama has nothing to gain and alot to lose.
The 1992 Presidential Debates with Ross Perot were not dull. His warnings have now come true. Replace John McCain with Ron Paul. Add Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney. Barack Obama must earn his victory, not win by default.
Obama could just debate himself and his various views on soooo many issues.
PEACE
McCain getting back into the debate is a purely political move, like everything else he does… it’s not that he wants to inform Americans or demonstrate his know-how, he just thought thought not showing up to the debates would make him look bad
Spoil what? Waste what? Steal what?
Barack Obama we do not doubt your intelligence. To be an effective leader one must also display honesty, compassion, & guts. Stand with Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, & Cynthia McKinney. NOT John McCain. Your choice – your move.