Kucinich Campaign Still Waiting For ABC News To Explain Their Actions Against Him Fr Debate

[EV_Ares]

NOTE: This ABC/Disney gets more outrageous every day. They are lower than Fox News. I really like Dennis and respect his dedication and hard work for the people of his district and this country. His sincerity in everything is above and beyond most politicians. I may even end up voting for him. Will probably be Edwards; Obama or Dennis.

Among the "outrages" that have energized tens of thousands of Kucinich supporters - and even non-supporters - thousands of whom have flooded the ABC News website and other online news sites with comments of protest:

* Congressman Kucinich was apparently deliberately cropped out of a "Politics Page" photo of the candidates.

* Sometime Monday afternoon, after Congressman Kucinich took a commanding lead in ABC's own on-line "Who won the Democratic debate" survey, the survey was dropped from prominence on the website.

* ABC News has not officially reported the results of its online survey.

* After the results of that survey showed Congressman Kucinich winning handily, ABC News, sometime Monday afternoon, replaced the original survey with a second survey asking "Who is winning the Democratic debate?"

* During the early voting Monday afternoon and evening, U.S. Senator Barack Obama was in the lead. By sometime late Monday or early Tuesday morning, Congressman Kucinich regained the lead by a wide margin in this second survey.

* Sometime Tuesday morning, ABC News apparently dropped the second survey from prominence or killed it entirely.

* AND, as every viewer of the nationally televised Sunday Presidential forum is aware, Congressman Kucinich was not given an opportunity to answer a question from moderator George Stephanopoulos until 28 minutes into the program.

The campaign submitted objections and inquiries to ABC News representatives on Monday and Tuesday. ABC News representatives have failed to respond - or even acknowledge - those objections and inquiries.

Stayed tuned for further details.

http://www.dennis4president.com/go/homepage-items/kucinich-campaign-is-awaiting-abc-news-explanations-for-its-actions/

[porphyrian]

1. Gee, I wonder if the corporate media has an agenda... -n/t

[saltpoint]

2. It would have been nice if some columnists had risen in defense of

Kucinich here.

ABC is clearly in the wrong. Their affront was deliberate: the ornery older corporate brother teasing the grassroots younger brother just to see if he'll get angry.

It would have been nice to hear Dionne and Herbert et al speak to this level of disrespect in defense of Dennis Kucinich's right to speak.

[EV_Ares]

4. I was thinking the same thing but also; what about the other candidates

don't you think they would want everyone to get a fair shake.

[saltpoint]

5. Good point -- yes -- from any source in the name of fair play.

Agree completely.

[cgrindley]

3. This is more embarrassing every day

Kucinich isn't a player. He's not going to get treated like one.

[Blackhatjack]

6. The core issue ... if DK is invited by ABC to participate should he get equal treatment?

I am of the opinion that ABC's conduct was disingenuous.

ABC had no intention of giving their idea of 'third tier' candidates the same coverage and opportunities as their self-determined 'first tier' candidates.

It would have been more honest for ABC to come out and say 'we will give all the candidates not in the top three a block of time to be divided equally between them, but they won't be allowed to participate in the top three debate.'

IMHO that would be wrong, but at least it would be honest and would give the other candidates an opportunity to be seen and heard in their own right.

[cgrindley]

10. Not necessarily

He should expect a question or so every half hour. He's a third tier candidate. EG he's not going to win, and there's no chance of him being asked to be the running mate of the one who does end up winning. You should be realistic.

[Tesha]

16. And how inconvenient it would be if he, a mere "third-tier" candidate...

And how inconvenient it would be if he, a mere "third-tier"
candidate, made the "first-tier" candidates look bad by
actually being willing to stand up and say something,
taking a real position, a PROGRESSIVE position, ehh?

Tesha

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. No, he shouldn't.

There are how many candidates at these debates? There's simply no way to accomodate that many people without making the format useless by either:

1) Making it six hours long, thus ensuring that very few people will watch.

2) Reducing the amount of time per candidate to a level where none can get in more than a sound bite.

Quite simply, the format of these debates are not apropriate for large numbers of contenders. If you've got a better idea, I'd like to hear it, but "giving everybody equal time" doesn't cut it with me because that's basically impossible in this format.

[warren pease]

17. The DK flame thread: day two

And miraculously, you're here again making the same case. I'll pass for today, except to provide this link to yesterday's thread which contains pretty much everything I've got to say on the subject: http://tinyurl.com/yugtjn


wp

[cyclezealot]

7. your nuts

ABC does not like DK's plans to apply the Fairness Doctrine to the media. Along with other plans to make the media more accountable to the American people who own the air waves.

[cgrindley]

9. what about my nuts?

ABC doesn't think that DK has any chance at all of being the nominee. He's being treated slightly worse than McCain is on the other side, but at least McCain has a sense of humor about it and is using the opportunity to sell books. DK just doesn't have the sort of influence that you think he does. He's just a distraction and should drop out.

[cyclezealot]

15. Gravel is in the picture , but DK is not.

Richardson has little chance either. But there he is. Kucinich is the true conscience of the party. He dam well better be in the race to the end; or , I find little reason to be much more than a bystander if he is not. Gravel is in the photo; Kucinich is not. My point is well taken. ABC does not like Kucinich's take on the corporate media. Go Dennis.
Maybe your not nuts. poor word choice. Just someone who does not appreciate a politician with conscious and steadfastness to core values.

[Bucky]

18. So are we talking about Gravel's nuts now?

Cause it's true, you know. Gravel's nuts.

Kooch, on the other hand, is a welcomed and necessary voice. He raises important questions. So it's not surprise he's being marginalized. He really scares people; people who need scaring.

[cyclezealot]

19. You rest my case.

Gravel can get his picture posted and you say he is nuts. Does not compute. I suspect you are maybe a DLC type and just do not want a challenge on principal. You'd rather there be a dead silence and no effort to keep the likes of Hillary from sounding like Joe Liebermann.

[Bucky]

22. Me? DLC?

I suspect you are maybe a DLC type and just do not want a challenge on principal. You'd rather there be a dead silence and no effort to keep the likes of Hillary from sounding like Joe Liebermann.

Oh man, I am so busted. Yes, that's exactly what I meant by Kucinich being a necessary voice in our debates. Maybe next you can explain to me how you can apparently read my mind for hidden agendas and still be so wrong.

[cyclezealot]

20. Thank goodness we have someone with a degree of honor.

Regarding Bush's beating the war drums against Iran.
by John Nichols.
$

But the congressman from Cleveland has succeeded in distinguishing himself from the other contenders when it comes to speaking those truths that are self-evident.
Delivering the response that should be coming from New York Senator Hillary Clinton ☼, Illinois Senator Barack Obama ☼ and especially from Delaware Senator Joe Biden, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when he isn't campaigning for president, Kucinich argued that, "Our nation is better served by demanding sensible and responsible diplomatic foreign policy initiatives from the Bush Administraion.
$$$
That and his call for impeaching Cheney. Thank god we have someone inspiring, instead of someone who steals lines from Liebermann. If it were not for Kucinich , I think I'd take the season off- after Hillary's original surge comment.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=223742

[MessiahRp]

14. The problem with your theory is that you blindly trust what the media feeds you.

The media says it's Clinton, Obama and maybe Edwards and that's it. They also said John Kerry was dead by this point in his campaign in 2003 and that Howard Dean was the presumed candidate for the Democratic party.

Personally it's not the media's place to decide our candidates and frontrunners. That's our place. Until we get a chance at the polls to cast a ballot either way, ALL of our candidates deserve equal respect and equal time.

Anything less is a certain corporate agenda and as corporations have shown particularly these past 30 years, what's good for them tends to be bad for America.

Does Kucinich have a shot to win? Probably not. But who am I to guess what liberals, fed up with the war and disgusted by the capitulation of beltway Democrats to Bush will do when given a chance to make a statement? Make no mistake about it, the Primaries are a statement.

To engage in such dishonest tactics as to sway the debate to the three candidates they the media likes, is not what democracy is all about.

Rp

[zeemike]

8. Don't expect fairness from the MSM

Cause it ain't gonna happen.
I read the transcripts for the debate because I do not have TV and it was obvious to me that they wanted to make it all about Obama and Clinton.

[druidity33]

11. hey

got a link to those transcripts?

:)

[zeemike]

21. Sorry no

But I believe it was ABCs web site. I got the link from a post here

[Blackhatjack]

12. Our system allows Pres Candidates like DK to bring issues considered for the Dem Platform...

I think DK has been good for the Democratic Party.

You do not have to win the Dem Nomination to move the Dem Party Platform on issues that are important to you, and other Dems.

I do not think DK is electible in this campaign season, but no one thought peanut farmer Jimmy Carter could win either.

That aside, what we are really debating is the proper role of a MSM public airways license holder in allocating debate time among declared candidates.

I think I read where there are already over 50 candidates running for President. Does ABC 'owe' all of them a slice of 'public exposure' to be fair in their use of a public airway? I don't think so. But it would be more honest for ABC to state exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. People might disagree with their reasons and decisions, but at least there would not be any doubts about their true motives.