Debate news roundup

Alrighty, there are two network debates scheduled this weekend. Tonight is ABC’s crack at it and while they’ve included Congressman Ron Paul, they’ve excluded Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Also excluded from the debate were Mike Gravel (D) and Duncan Hunter (R). Congressman Kucinich has rightly filed a complaint with the FCC against the network but that will do nothing to get his ideas out tonight and that’s a damn shame.

Tomorrow night is FOX’s shot and they’ve excluded Ron Paul. The New Hampshire GOP has stepped up and withdrawn as co-sponsor of the debate.

The New Hampshire Republican Party has quit “with regret” as a co-sponsor of tomorrow night’s nationally televised GOP forum on FOX News.

The 8 p.m. event at Saint Anselm College — the last debate before Tuesday’s primary — became controversial when FOX refused to include Ron Paul.

In a press release, state Republican Party chairman Fergus Cullen said, “We believe all recognized major candidates should have an equal opportunity to participate in pre-primary debates and forums. This principle applies to tonight’s debates on ABC as well as Sunday’s planned forum on FOX. The New Hampshire Republican Party believes Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in the FOX forum on Sunday evening. Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed.”

As a libertarian, I have seen first hand the circular bullshit reasoning used by networks to deny invitations to candidates they deem unnewsworthy. It’s commonly said that a candidate must meet certain polling percentages to be included but nobody gives a damn that the candidates name goes unmentioned in the poll questions. I experienced a damn near hostile reaction in October ‘06 when I mentioned to a poll taker that I planned to vote for a candidate not mentioned in the choices. The guy told me that my candidate was not a possible answer and that he’d mark me undecided. I demanded that he write my candidate’s name in as I was not undecided.

Networks also use money as a benchmark for public interest and I have to say that in this respect, we Ron Paul supporters are damn lucky that there are those among us who’ve come up with near genius fundraising campaigns. Letters to Fox’s advertisers didn’t make them budge (although Overstock.com had a great reply to Paul supporters), but Ron Paul’s record breaking fundraising days have certainly put him in position to fight back.

After being “uninvited” to participate in FOX’s debate Sunday night at St. Anselm College, Paul decided to purchase an hour-long television slot that evening, because “I can afford it.”

My heart literally quickened its pace reading that. Ron Paul is coming out swinging and it feels fabulous! I don’t have a clue what he plans to spend that hour on, but wouldn’t it be awesome if he could fill it with the other excluded candidates and have some real debate for a change? In my mind, the exchange between Paul and Kucinich would be worth a pay-per-view fee. Imagine two men who respect each other enough to debate real opposing ideas in a gentlemanly manner. No pre-planned sound bites, no rude moderators and no getting passed over on key points of discussion would make for an informative hour.

Who knows? Perhaps the hour would be so edifying that it would change the face of future debates.

~ by Miche on January 5, 2008.