Petition: Let Gravel Speak at the WMUR Debate

[reprehensor]

http://www.gravel2008.us/?q=node/640

Let Gravel Speak! Sign the Petition.
April 28, 2007

In a pre-emptive statement issued on March 16, CNN, WMUR TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader declared their intention to exclude Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Gravel from their tri-sponsored debate on June 3rd. This petition seeks to change that. In the wake of the debate on April 26, Sen. Gravel deserves to be heard. I address this petition to the Publisher of the Union Leader as I feel it will make the most impact there.

Please copy and paste the url below.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/283054100

Because he kicks ass, that's why.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gMlHv2lDqA

[noamnety]

1. self-delete

(dang, I'm on my third cup of coffee, you'd think that would be enough to be coherent, but no.)

[babylonsister]

2. Can you tell me what their reasoning is to exclude Gravel? Also, WHY

would/should they have a say in the matter? Why is the media dictating who is to debate-because they're hosting it? I don't get it.

[reprehensor]

7. STATEMENT BY CNN, WMUR-TV AND THE UNION LEADER

"The three debate partners, closely following Federal Election Commission guidelines, established objective criteria to determine who we invite to the debates. Because there are literally dozens and dozens of declared presidential candidates, most of whom we have never heard of, we have to have a method of determining who is invited. Our criteria simply identifies candidates that have measurable public support for their campaign. Because Mike Gravel has not demonstrated measurable public support for his campaign to date, he has not received an invitation. But we have not excluded him (or anyone) from the debate. If he meets our criteria between now and the debate, he will certainly get an invitation."

http://www.nhinsider.com/press-releases/2007/3/20/gravel-dismisses-cnn-wmur-tv-and-union-leader-statement.html

Having trouble finding a direct link to the PR.

[Sanctified]

36. This is why.

Only the rich become President, it's the good ol boys club and they exclude those who don't have the money.

[bonito]

3. Done, thanks n/t

[leftchick]

4. excellent!

:)

[xultar]

5. Done. I like Gravel.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Freedom of speech

This early on, every announced candidate should have a spot on the dias. The MSM has no right to "vote out" a person.

[MonkeyFunk]

16. but as they said above

there are literally dozens and dozens of announced candidates. You and I haven't heard of most of them. Should they all be equally represented?

Seriously, there are more than 8 announced candidates.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

26. Yes, if they are announced as Democrats

not if they are running on the Eggplant Party.

[MonkeyFunk]

27. The sponsors claimed

there were dozens of people running as Democrats. I have no reason to doubt that.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

28. Then how come we haven't heard about them on DU?

Just curious. After all, there are over 100,000 of us here--and all those "other" candidates can't be Blue Dogs.

[SoxFan]

29. Background

The NH Primary ballot usually contains around 70 or so names on the Democratic side. The filing requirements are relatively lax (a $1,000 check is all you need; there's no signature requirement), so oddballs flock to NH like moths to a porch light.

I don't agree with a lot of what Gravel has to say, but as a former two term US Senator, he deserves to be included in the debate. Unfortunately, WMUR fancies itself as the establishment "gatekeeper" and will probably find an excuse to keep him out. In addition, the state Democratic Party won't go to bat for Gravel, since he doesn't fork over cash to the party on a regular basis.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

35. Thanks for the explanation

Now this makes more sense to me.

But I still don't like the idea that they can shut out a candidate that has credentials like Gravel and who was in on one debate before.

[MonkeyFunk]

33. do you know Randy Crow?

www.randycrow.com


Seriously, there are always dozens of candidates. You only hear of some of them.

And every election, we go through this silly debate about including "everyone". It simply can't be done in any meaningful sense.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

34. In other words,

NH attracts a lot of loonies who are willing to pay $1000 to be included in the Democratic primary. The other poster explained this to me, so I now understand. But Gravel has credentials--he has been in the Senate after all, and was in on the last "debate".

Edited because I now understand.

[MonkeyFunk]

37. oh, i agree

if it were my call, I'd let Gravel in.

But I was arguing with the point, that comes up every election, that ALL candidates should be included, and it's just really not feasible. No matter what criteria people come up with, there is going to be some candidates excluded.

We see it all the time for major multi-party debates when the Green candidate, or Peace & Freedom candidates, demand to be included. There just has to be some way to limit the field so that the debate remains meaningful.

[Eric J in MN]

8. Done. NT

NT

[LWolf]

9. Done.

If they can choose to exclude some Democratic candidates from the debate, they ought to exclude Clinton, Edwards, and Obama. If the point is to get to know where candidates stand on issues, it would be best to give the most time to those that have not already been blessed with extravagant attention from the media.

[robinlynne]

10. Thanks. I was thinking about this yesterday.

[DesertRat]

11. Done. k&r

[Echotrail]

12. Done. Also sent letters to the sponsors

Why should the media choose who is worthy?
It's early, the people should at least get to hear his views.

[Mind_your_head]

13. Done - but they need a LOT more signatures - spread this around!

The petition has just under 600 signatures right now and they're looking for at least 10,000.

[Joanne98]

14. Done. The nerve of the MSM to decide who we get to listen to!

[shadowknows69]

15. It's always been the way

they stopped Nader and Perot from debating at one point didn't they?

[Joanne98]

22. I know but I'm sick of it.

[shadowknows69]

32. You and me both Joanne

the 2004 dem candidate debate with Larry King was shameful. He basically asked Kucinich and Sharpton why they even bothered to show up. Of course both Dennis and Al made some of the more perinent points that night.

[MadBadger]

19. They are looking at the polls. So really who is deciding?

[bigwillq]

17. Done

All the candidates who are still in the race should be allowed to debate.

Gravel is not my first, second or even third choice but he should have his say.

[loudsue]

18. Can we also get e-mail addresses to send e-mails to these stations?

I think it's time to let them know how we feel personally!

:kick::kick::kick:

[SoxFan]

31. Email addresses

Scott Spradling is the chief political reporter for WMUR-TV and will be the debate moderator:
[email protected]

John DiStaso, Senior Political Reporter, New Hampshire Union Leader:
[email protected]

Joe McQuaid, publisher, NH Union Leader:
[email protected]

[PATRICK]

20. Is this the debate

Obama and Clinton are bypassing anyway? You know this is getting a little wild even with Edwards thankfully paring down the FOX tripe. The DNC has its own debate schedule and seems, if not miffed, at least very uninformatively regarding all these varied debates.

We at DU could use an updated schedule and decryption of the odd and shifting pre-season since they are taken very seriously here regardless of the limited coverage they receive everywhere(including here). The question of who should be at which debate seems to get lost what with all the cancellations, refusals, etc.

[Sapphire Blue]

21. Gravel... Senator 'Flat Tax'... why didn't he speak about that @ the MSNBC debate?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x779767

I suppose he was too busy implying that our other Democratic candidates are planning to nuke the world... or did you miss the MSNBC debate, where he suggested they would do that, outright asking Sen. Obama who he would nuke?

[Blue_In_AK]

23. Nobody asked. n/t

[Adelante]

24. Done

Thanks.

[Faryn Balyncd]

25. Gravel elevates the standards of debate & prevents the GOP/corporatists from dictating the terms....

Gravel's presence elevates the standards of debate & prevents the GOP/corporatists from dictating the terms of the DEMOCRATIC debate.

Gravel's presence helps all Democrats...

Eliminating Gravel from the Democratic debate plays into the right wing strategy of turning the Democratic Party into a me-too "Republican lite" party.

Such tactics effectively disenfranchise the over 60% of Americans who oppose the war.

If you want a Democratic candidate in 2008 who is afraid to forthrightly oppose perpetual occupation, and afraid to renounce the warmongers who want another pre-emptive (even nuclear) war (this time in Iran), then the way to accomplish this is to silence Mike Gravel.

[Sapphire Blue]

30. "Gravel elevates the standards of debate... " Does asking Sen. Obama who he would nuke qualify as...

... elevating "the standards of debate"? Gravel sounds more like a raving lunatic to me.

[Maru Kitteh]

42. Yes, it does. If Obama wants to leave nukes open and on the table

I want someone to call him on it, and I happen to lean toward Obama now so it's not "anti-Obama" sentiment talking here. It's a deep disgust for canned, safe and well-rehearsed fake answers from stuffed suits.

[Mind_your_head]

38. Kick for the night crowd

:kick:

[SoxFan]

39. email for UL and 'MUR

Scott Spradling, the political reporter for WMUR-TV:
[email protected]

John DiStaso, chief political reporter, NH Union Leader:
[email protected]

Joe McQuaid, publisher, NH Union Leader:
[email protected]

[reprehensor]

40. Audio: Laura Flanders had Gravel on Saturday Night - 4-48-2007

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=788415&mesg_id=788415

[Maru Kitteh]

41. done, kicked and rec'd

[paulk]

43. you'd be better off sending Gravel money

rather than a petition.

Donations are the main way of measuring public support in politics.

[Pastiche423]

44. Signed!

#5652