Stop the Incorporated Debates!
After many months of work, we're happy to see the Incorporated Debates are
finally an area generating widespread concern as the omission of vital issues
by the dominant parties' candidates becomes glaring.
Unfortunately, some other organizations urging action have recommended
lobbying the Commission on Presidential Debates itself to change--akin to
pleading with the WTO to support human rights and democracy over
corporate interests. It is crucial to realize the CPD exists to serve its
owners' duopoly. While it is possible that a mammoth campaign could
pressure them to ease the rules this time, it would be a temporary victory and
necessitate another exhausting battle in another four years. It would also
utterly fail to address the illegitimacy of a private corporation controlling a
vital
democratic process. We believe the CPD must be abolished and replaced
with a public body that will serve democracy, not duopoly.
Our collection of targets for action and weblinks for additional information
follow this article.
DUOPOLY BY DESIGN
Click here for a printable pdf format flyer with this information or
E-mail us for a Word format flyer.
"We have no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the
American people," proclaimed the League of Women Voters in retreating from
sponsorship of a scheduled 1988 presidential debate. The League withdrew to
expose the Democrats' and Republicans' attempt to dictate every detail--down
to camera placement--of the "debates" that today deserve to be called
infomercials.
The League has not participated since, but was replaced by an entity with no
such reservations about subverting democracy--or subjecting viewers to
events that make watching professional bowling a more engaging alternative.
To America's disgrace, a private corporation now directs the televised
presidential debates. The Commission on Presidential Debates, a joint
creation of the Democratic and Republican parties, has-surprise!-created
rules that will shut out any third party or independent candidates and displays
only its owners' nominees.
Imagine the revolt that would occur if Americans were dictated to choose from
only two brands of beer, yet there's barely a murmur over our being denied a
choice outside of the two corporate-approved candidates! We should
recognize the importance of democratic debate and regain authority over of
this foundation for informed voting.
The televised debates are the single most influential forum for American
voters and offer a rare opportunity to hear candidates' ideas in more than
10-second sound bites. Real debates now have been replaced by-in the
CPD's own words--``nationally televised joint appearances between nominees
of the two major political parties.'' Yet the CPD has the nerve to call itself
"non-partisan."
The CPD effectively decides which candidates we see with no public
accountability. Major corporations invest up to $550,000 to sponsor of the
events. The corporate sponsors are unlikely to protest the exclusion of
candidates questioning, say, the legitimacy of corporations funding political
parties and campaigns--citizens should.
New CPD requirements mandate that a candidate possess the expected votes
of 15% of the public to share a stage with the two dominant parties'
candidates-- three times the 5% threshold parties must meet to receive public
election funds. Moreover, the fi ve corporate media polls (ABC
News/Washington Post; CBS News/NY Times; NBC /Wall St. Journal; CNN/USA;
Today/Gallup and Fox/Opinion Dynamics) used to determine support routinely
add the option of third-party candidates only after asking whether the
respondent supports Bush or Gore.
All of these polls involve corporations enjoying windfalls from bipartisan
non-enforcement of anti-trust law and the multi-billion dollar giveaway of
television broadcast spectrum in the 1996 Telecommunications Act.
In the previous 40 years, only two candidates from outside the two dominant
parties have participated in the presidential debates: John Anderson in 1980
and Ross Perot in 1992.
Though he ran as an independent, in 1980 Anderson was an incumbent
Republican congressman with the enormous advantages of 20 years in
office--yet he polled only 13%-18% just prior to the debates and took 7% of
the popular vote.
In October 1992, independent candidate Perot polled from 7%-9% just prior to
the debates, well under the present absurd barriers, but captured 19% of the
popular vote after the debates. His inclusion helped boost voting by a stunning
12 million from the previous presidential election.
Unhappy with Perot's populist critique of the sacred corporate "free trade"
pacts, the CPD raised the barriers to participation the next election cycle and
excluded him from the debates, labeling him "unelectable." Of course, the
power to hide a candidate makes the label self-fulfilling.
Without a dissenting voice to create real debate, less than half as many
Americans watched the 1996 Clinton/Dole snoozefest as 1992's three-way
debates. Notably, viewership dropped with each debate, in contrast to the
three-way 1992 debates, which drew progressively larger audiences. The
exclusive CPD forums seem destined to further diminish public interest.
Jesse Ventura's election as Governor of Minnesota in 1998 offers a more
recent illustration of the absurdity of CPD criteria. Ventura averaged just 10%
support in September polls before participating in five televised debates, and
no major poll identified him as a front-runner, yet he decisively won the
November election.
With over 200 declared presidential candidates, limiting the number of debate
participants certainly is necessary, but even a minimal standard--requiring that
candidates appear on enough state ballots to have a mathematical chance to
win--would limit the field to a maximum of six. After an initial debate and
opporunity for public evaluation, subsequent debates could legitimately be
narrowed.
Regardless of one's views on the optimum number of debaters, an
unaccountable private corporation has no place controlling this vital part of
our democratic process. The CPD's duopoly-by-design must be replaced with
a public body that will nourish, not subvert democracy. We should also
question how we allowed such fundamental corruption of our republic at all.
� 2000 Jeff Milchen
TAKE ACTION
Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper. Include the
ReclaimDemocracy.org url and phone: (303) 402-0105 for readers to find out
more about the CPD. Better still, arrange a board meeting with the editors to
discuss the issue--we're happy to advise.
Attend any Bush or Gore appearance in your region and make sure this
issue is put in their face visually and audibly wherever they go. Make your
banner the photo in the next days news! Download and copy the PDF flyer
from this page. If the first debate in Boston proceeds as a duopoly, direct
actions are planned; contact us for more.
Target the national broadcast networks (listings follow) or local affiliates.
Urge them to ignore any CPD-controlled debates and to broadcast debates
including the third part candidates with a mathematical chance to win for at
least the first televised debate. Also, tell the debates' corporate sponsors you
resent this attack on our democracy and will boycott them until they withdraw
funding of the CPD.
Tell the debates' corporate sponsors you resent this attack on our
democracy and will boycott them until they withdraw funding of the CPD.
Ask your Senators and Representatives to work to establish a multi-partisan
citizen panel to oversee debates and terminate the CPD. Toll-free phone
numbers below.
In July, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) introduced House Concurrent
Resolution 373, the Resolution to Open Presidential Debates. The resolution
states that candidates should be admitted into the debates if the candidate is
polling at 5% in national polls or if polls show that a majority of voters support
the candidate's participation. See the resolution posted at
www.debatethis.org/hcr373
Visit and direct people to the Reclaim Democracy! website to get this
information and updates online; email it to your friend and family!
TARGETS
Your Representatives:
We currently have two toll-free numbers to reach the Capitol: 1-800-648-3516
or 1-877-722-7494.
See www.vote-smart.org for full contact information for all of Congress or call
1-888-868-3762.
Television News Networks (broadcasters of the debates). Request that
they boycott the CPD debates and seek out more inclusive debates to
broadcast.
ABC
47 W. 66 St., New York, NY 10023
Phone: 212-456-7777, D.C. Bureau phone: 202-222-7777 Fax: 212-456-4297
General e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Feedback website:
http://abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abcmail.html
CBS
524 W. 57 St., New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-975-4321, D.C. Bureau phone: 202-457-432, Fax: 212-975-1893
http://cbsnews.cbs.com/now/feedback/0,1611,412,00.html
NBC
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
Phone: 212-664-4444, Fax: 212-664-5705
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
PBS
1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-739-5000, Fax: 703-739-0775
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fox 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212-556-2500
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
E-MAIL ALL OF THE NETWORKS listed above + MSNBC in one message,
BUT individually addressed messages will carry more weight and a personal
call or handwritten note still more. Consider changing the recipients to "blind
carbon copy" if you use the bulk e-mail.
Corporate Sponsors
Anheuser-Busch Inc/Budweiser Inc.
August A. Busch III, Chairman of the Board and President or John E. Jacob,
Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Anheuser-Busch
Companies, Inc. One Busch Place St. Louis, Mo. 63118
General Information 1-800-342-5283, Offices 314-577-2000
www.budweiser.com/ind_contact.html
3com Inc. 408-326-5000 3com.com
For a complete list of sponsors, see the CPD's site below.
Further Resources
Please read the CPD's side of the story at www.debates.org
Pat Buchanan's lawsuit against the Federal Elections Commission over the
CPD provides detailed background and documentation. You can also learn
more about Buchanan (contender for the disputed Reform Party nomination)
at http://www.buchanan.org/pa-00-0320-fullfeccomplaint.html
Green Party candidate Ralph Nader has filed a similar suit. We found:
www.nader2000.org at least as useful as the official site:www.votenader.org
John Hagelin should appear on at least 40 state's ballots, including some as
the Natural Law Party candidate and others as Reform Party. www.Hagelin.org
The Libertarian Party may be the only third part to be on all 50 states ballots,
with Harry Browne as their likely candidate. www.libertarian.org
The Al Gore site:www.algore2000.com
The George W. Bush site: www.georgewbush.com
For those interested in exploring the rest of the political parties, from the
mainstream to the bizarre and offensive, see www.darkhorse2000.com
Candidate profiles and surveys for thousands of candidates for public office
are available at www.vote-smart.org
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) www.fair.org has been an
important voice on this issue. Among the wealth of information on their site is
interesting information on the omission of third party candidates information
from many corporate media web pages purporting to offer voter information
and has successfully targeted many of those sites to add serious third party
contenders.
House Resolution 373: www.debatethis.org/hcr373.html.
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