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All four candidates performed well in Los Angeles and presented their message, despite attempts by King and Brownstein to marginalize Kucinich and Sharpton. One example of this came after an exchange between Kerry and Edwards on healthcare. Kucinich asked them to commit to a universal single payer system, and Larry King answered for them, calling it 'socialism.' Larry King is not running for President. Why did we need his opinion? They then moved to another issue without letting Sharpton comment on health care.
Throughout the debate, the questions were asked to Kerry and Edwards first, and if there was time, Kucinich and Sharpton could give their opinion. While I was very impressed with the positions taken by Janet Clayton, and agreed with her most of the time, her questions were like the editorials she oversees at the Los Angeles Times.
"I'll get off the soap box now and admit that this was the best debate so far. Health care was debated, and we heard the differences between the candidates. We heard plans for education. There was a debate on the death penalty, with Kerry expressing his opposition and Edwards defending it, despite a strong argument from Sharpton on how it is unevenly applied to minorities. There was a discussion on Haiti, and a debate on NAFTA and the WTO. The role of special interests and money in politics was debated, as was Iraq.
Hmmmm...all of Nader's issues came up, and he did not need to be there. Why are you running, Ralph?"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/022804A.shtmlThe short answer is this: "Would all, some, or ANY of those issues have come up, had Ralph NOT have been around to keep them all honest? As it was, "they" pretty well marginalized Kucinich and Sharpton.
I supported Nader in 2000, as did many dedicated activists in the Seattle Labor and the Jobs with Justice community. Few if any of them will vote for Nader this year, but they'll LISTEN to him and probably applaud (As I will probably do also). I suspect the same will be so for most of the rest in the country. So quit this absurd bellyaching about Nader, and concentrate on GETTING OUT THE VOTE. If it can be brought from less than 50% of eligible voters to 60% or better, Bush will be TOAST.
pnorman
STAND UP, KEEP FIGHTING
http://shows.implex.tv/wellstone