Cancelled Presidential debates smack of manipulation by ‘run and hide’ candidates

[seriousstan]

AUSTIN (TX) -- The cancellation in the past two days of two planned nationally televised debates because of candidates’ “scheduling conflicts” and unwillingness to participate smacks of “manipulation by some candidates who would rather run and hide than defend their records and their positions on the war,” Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said today while campaigning in Texas.

Widely publicized Presidential debates in New Hampshire in April and in Nevada in August were cancelled after some candidates either backed out after agreeing to participate or declined invitations to attend.

“Whatever their excuses, some candidates are clearly trying to avoid any head-to-head public debate where they will have to answer tough questions -- questions about their votes in favor of the Iraq war, their votes in favor of trade policies that have wiped out millions of American jobs, their votes in favor of abridging Constitutional rights by approving the Patriot Act, and their collaboration with insurance companies and pharmaceutical corporations to deny Americans adequate health care protection.”

Kucinich said “it’s an insult to the voters, and the height of cynicism, for candidates to refuse to take the public stage and subject themselves to public scrutiny.”


http://kucinich.us/node/3532

[Kagemusha]

1. ...Forgive my innocent question but um, why's Kucinich shilling for Fox here?

I mean um, why?

[seriousstan]

4. Kucinich isn't a shill. He may be many things, but his integrity is without question.

[Renew Deal]

12. Except on abortion

[brooklynite]

8. If I were to guess...

Kucinich isn't getting a lot of media coverage, and he's upset at missing out on any free forums.

[KoKo]

17. Sheesh...had to remove my post defending him...It's up on his Website!

I thought it was a Texas paper misquoting him. I hope this is some dirty trick that this was posted on his website...:wow:

[w4rma]

2. Kucinich is criticising them for dropping the FOX News sponsored debate. (nt)

[eridani]

3. For a minute there, I didn't think he was wrong about anything

He's wrong about this, though.

[BayCityProgressive]

6. He is wrong on this

Why give credence to FOX Kucinich?

[madfloridian]

5. He doesn't seem to realize how it all went down.

Someone should let him know how it started and why it was cancelled.

[mitchtv]

7. Ralph Nader, is that you?

He should be attacking * not fellow Dems. It irks me more than anything. He is calling down some bad Karma/ill will

[pocoloco]

9. Dennis, you were dreaming!

You're gonna have a lot of trouble getting them on the same stage you are on!

[TwilightGardener]

10. Um, Mr. Kucinich, your fellow Dems

are not afraid of debate--they just don't want to lend credibility to an anti-Democratic, right-wing propaganda outlet.

[Rebellious Republican]

11. Dennis you are usaully spot on, however......

I think it is long over due for Dems to start boycotting Faux News, I mean no guest appearances, no nothing. Let them debate on PBS or NPR, if they back out, then you can call them cowards. Until that time, I will call them Heroes!

:bounce:

[Canuckistanian]

13. Bad move, Dennis

Would he accept a debate invitation from World Net Daily?

No? Then why is he defending Fox News?

It's time to draw the line for legitimate news services, not blur them.

[JohnLocke]

14. Whatever (nt).

[rocktivity]

15. Of course candidates should "take the public stage"

But what has that to with Faux, given the way they've "insulted" voters by with their rampant partisanship? There ARE alternatives.

:headbang:
rocknation

[pampango]

25. Exactly. Another sponsor/network for the debate.

That should be fairly easy to work out (probably should have been announced simultaneously with the slamming of FOX.) It would eliminate spin of "run and hide" and put the onus solely on FOX.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. LBN rules?

This is a press release, not a journalistic story in a news outlet. Alerted.

[skipos]

18. No wonder he is below 1%

He'll stay there saying dumb shit like this

[NobleCynic]

19. ::Aims gun at foot:: ::Pulls Trigger::

Height of cynicism Dennis? Insult to the voters Dennis?

How about insulting the informed? The debate wasn't cancelled because they mainstream candidates wanted to avoid you Dennis. The debate was cancelled because the grassroots objected to a debate on FOX.

[Vidar]

20. Kucinich is my candidate, & he's wrong on this one.

[porkrind]

21. "answer tough questions"

With respect to congressman Kucinich whom I greatly admire, tough questions are NEVER posed in these scripted debates. That's the whole point: It's a choice between two status-quo business party candidates. That's why americans are so turned off and bored by politics. If you want a debate that would really be interesting, include someone out of the corporate/military/congressional establishment.

How about we let someone like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn pose questions for the candidates? Then things would be REALLY interesting! :)

[SoCalDem]

22. Sounds like intelligent legislators refusing to bow down to hit and run "journalists"

:)

[Justice]

23. Not smart Kucinich.

[sampsonblk]

24. Not smart-nt

nt