How can we fair presidential campaigns without open debates?

[Denver Dave]

How can we have fair campaigns without open debates? Are the Democrats and Republicans really that afraid of Jill Stein and Gary Johnson will have to say?

Candidates for president, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein have qualified for our Federal Campaign Matching Funds and each are currently on the ballot in over half the states, but are being excluded from the presidential debates.

http://www.change.org/petitions/open-up-the-2012-presidential-debates

http://www.facebook.com/OpenTheDebates

http://OpenUpTheDebates.org

[struggle4progress]

1. On average, over the previous four presidential elections, the Greens haven't gotten 1% of the vote

And usually, the Greens only pick up a few percent of the margin between the top two vote getters

So usually they're barely a blip on the radar and scarcely worth any attention at all

The exception was the very close election 2000, when the Greens seem to have grabbed about 2.5% of the vote and the vote for the Greens was 5X the margin between Bush and Gore. Frankly, that election is not a happy memory for lots of us here, and we don't want to see it happen again

[Denver Dave]

2. it's about holding the leading candidates accountable

I've only recently realized that it is important for some minority candidates to be in the debates to hold the leading candidates accountable for earlier positions the candidates held to get their party's nomination.

Johnson and Stein may cancel each others supporters out, but there will be things talked about in the debates with them in the debates which will not be talked about without them as each candidate, traditionally has run to the middle.

Please visit http://OpenUpTheDebates.org , sign the petition and tell your friends. We are now going on 3,400 signatures with some other similar petitions even larger, but that's not nearly enough to get noticed.

Thanks.