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Last night I had Independent candidate for President, John Bootie on my radio show. John is an Independent that labels himself as a Reaganite type of conservative( see Johnbootie08.com). The interview was nothing like I expected, in fact we agreed on many issues but disagreed on the war. The fact that John came on the show was a testament to his belief that the internet is becoming the media of choice for politicians of all persuasions.It was heartening to have a conversation with a pro-GWOT presidential candidate that didn’t sink into rhetoric and name-calling. John was willing to discuss issues that many Republican candidates seem unwilling to talk about. We both agreed that the mainstream media seems unwilling to give anyone save the top tier candidates any “face-time”. We talked about Dennis Kuchinich and Mike Gravel, as well as Ron Paul not getting the coverage that they deserve.
While we disagreed on the war in Iraq, we both agreed that the American people, courtesy of this administration and the MSM, are not getting the entire truth about the war and many other issues. You can hear the interview by going to my site, http://liberalpro.blogspot.com and clicking the “TalkRadioLive” button on the right. I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised that a politician, who claims to be a staunch conservative and supports this administration, can also be so open-minded on issues that Progressives care so much about.
I believe that anyone with the temerity to run for President of the United States should be afforded the opportunity to speak his or her mind and have the media cover it. Unfortunately, this entire crap-shoot that we call a “Presidential Campaign” is predicated on one thing, and that thing is money, and lots of it. We as a people can no longer sit idly by while some of the best and brightest people running for national office are ignored and discarded before they have a chance to get their message out.
The fact is that not one vote has been cast in any political primary and the MSM have already decided who the front-runners are. Polls are not primaries. The mainstream media is in effect, censoring those candidates that have good ideas and moral issues that they want to talk to the American people about. It wouldn’t hurt the networks and the large newspapers to devote a little less time to Brittany Spears and a little more time to cover candidates whose ideas just might become the answers that will put America right again. The American people should demand that ALL candidates have the opportunity to address the people, not just the candidates that raise the most money. They are not doing this country any favors by denying Kuchinich, Gravel, Paul and even John Bootie the opportunity to be heard by the voters.
This isn’t just a political issue, it is a moral issue also. When the media silences one camp, we have censorship. The networks have a legal obligation by the FCC licenses they hold to operate for the public good. In my mind, that is covering ALL the candidates, not just the ones they deem to be “tier-one” candidates.
Later on this September I will be interviewing Jeff Merkley who is running for the Senate under the Democratic ticket in Oregon. That should be another great show. Meanwhile, if you know of any other candidates that would like to come on the show, have them call or write me. I don’t care about their political affiliation or how much money they have, if they are running for office, they should be heard. I'll be on tonight/sunday morning at 12AM-1AM, tune in!
That’s the way I see it.
