Tipster: Des Moines Fallout Amid Kucinich Protests (Newsroom Disrupted For 2 Days, Phones Jammed)

[Hissyspit]

http://gannettblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/tip-des-moines-...

Tip: Des Moines fallout amid Kucinich protests

A Des Moines Register tipster says the paper has been hosed by protesters after its controversial decision to exclude Rep. Dennis Kucinich (below) from yesterday's Democratic presidential debate.

"The protest disrupted the newsroom for two days, jamming the phones,'' the tipster writes today. "After the Kucinich Iowa website announced he wasn't being included in the debate panel, Kucinich supporters posted protests on the comment areas tacked on to any news reports or blogs. Among their suggestions were calling the newsroom (keeping three executive assistants and a news editor busy answering, explaining the criteria, expressing regrets and trying to disengage). They posted every news executive's phone number and many newsroom numbers on the Internet, posted the numbers of the Register's Internet advertisers and suggested people call them to complain and even asked Kucinich supporters to get phone numbers from Register classified ads and call to protest the Register's handling of the debates."

Sounds like a community conversation powered by you and the Des Moines Register, eh?

[joeybee12]

1. Excluding him was BS...especially after allowing alan Keyes in...

...they deserve to be hosed.

[riverdeep]

8. Yeah, Allan Keyes.

The guy hasn't appeared on a single debate and they let him in on this one. Meanwhile, a legitimate candidate isn't allowed on because of some bullshit rule they made up and/or refused to work around. This was the last debate before the primary, too. Real nice.

The debate sucked anyway. The moderator is a human sleeping pill. These things don't put the Register in a good light nationwide.

[RavensChick]

21. I thought Keyes wasn't running

then I'm channel surfing, come across the debate (which I immediately grabbed the remote when I saw his ugly face), and I see this goober! Still talking tin foil bullshit! Sad. It makes me almost ashamed to be a black woman sometimes.

[screembloodymurder]

2. They got off easy.

I hope they burn in hell.

[madrchsod]

3. they do not want to hear from a progressive

dennis ideas shows the bankruptcy of the others ideas about our future and how to achieve it. people with extraordinary vision are pushed aside because they could never win...i guess that is just a fact of life.

[Donnachaidh]

4. All together now -- and a one and a two and a great big ..

AWWWWWWWWWWW! Poor Babies! Imagine having to have two executive assistants and a news editor actually do some phone work!

Awwww Awwwwww

[madrchsod]

6. wow -you really fear dennis that much

to feel that way about him and his supporters? gee i feel sorry for you.......

[mike_c]

13. I think you misunderstood the DUer's comment...

...but maybe that's just me.

[Donnachaidh]

16. no -- I was being snarky about the paper

I don't fear Dennis. It was shitty for the paper to do that. Go back and re-read the post.

[madrchsod]

18. sorry....i would have expected better from that paper...

[RavensChick]

20. n/t

They should come where I work! They'll really have fun!

[Bennyboy]

5. Now THAT is DEMOCRACY in action!

Being someone who called and emailed it makes me feel good that others felt the same. I thought that he had made a blunder buy not renting an office space, but after seeing Keyes on the Rep debate I got pretty pissed.

Good for us I say.

[madrchsod]

9. my wife and i worked out of our home for over 15 years

and our suppliers did`t think we were not worthy of their business. i guess the paper did`t think that dennis did`t deserved our "business" or was it their`s?

[RavensChick]

22. Yes, it is!

I guess they'll think twice before messing with Dems!

[KamaAina]

7. But , but, but Dennis doesn't have any supporters!

He's only polling at two percent, for crying out loud! Must be the ice storm or something that's screwing up their switchboard...

[lovuian]

10. People are not stupid they KNOW

and the News Media are propogandists

[Peace Patriot]

11. Yup, it makes you wonder about the polls showing Kucinich so low, and all

the marginalization and black-holing he's been subjected to by the war profiteering corporate news monopolies.

THREE CHEERS TO THE KUCINICH SUPPORTS AND OTHERS WHO BELIEVE IN OPEN DEBATE WHO HARASSED THE DES MOINES REGISTER OVER THIS TYPICAL CORPORATE NEWS DECISION--typically unfair, typically restrictive of the parameters of debate, typically anti-grass roots, typically anti-poor, and typically undemocratic.

I'm glad we caused them jammed phone lines and headaches for two days! Since this decision came from Corporate, I didn't expect it to be reversed. Our corporate rules really don't give a fuck what we think. But at least we did not let go by! I'm proud of us--the true MAINSTREAM of the American people!

[MuseRider]

12. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

oh that is funny. They fucked him over and they fucked us over and they fucked over the country who let their state have the first primary. Ha Ha Ha Ha! Poor people. Guess they know that the bullshit decision was not thought well of. LOL, this is funny except that DK lost his last chance to debate (if you could call it that) even if they never call on him.

We are the people, we decide and if you take that away from us expect us to revolt. That is the way it is supposed to be and the paper now knows they have not gotten complete control yet.

[fed-up]

14. when I called to voice my disgust they were in a hurry to get me off the phone

I hope they had to work overtime to make up all the calls they took for their censorship of the debate.

[create.peace]

15. i am contributing tomorrow

well, i know what i am doing, especially after this insane arbitrary slighting of mr. k. i am contributing tomorrow, 100 bucks, that's right. it is a one day, knock their socks off campaign. if this doesn't get someone's attention nothing will. so all day, the 15th of december, bill of rights anniversary, get your friends to donate what the can to dennis. he deserves our support.

1-877-41DENNIS

https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contributi...

[spanone]

17. too little too late, Kucinich did not appear. eom

[mdmc]

19. kick