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August 12, 2008 at 04:17:08

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Promoted to Headline (H2) on 8/12/08:
Clemente Wants to Turn Up the Heat

by Babette Hogan     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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Video courtesy of Craig Seeman, New York

Rosa Clemente, political activist and Vice-Presidential candidate for Cynthia McKinney on the Green Party ticket, calls out for constituents to pressure the mainstream media to give McKinney some airtime. She also calls for independent and progressive media to open up their coverage to Green Party politics.

Few media outlets showed up for the Green Party Convention held in July in Chicago, that despite Illinois being a state where the Green Party is a significant player in this election. Though NPR was there for most of the convention, reporting was reduced to a few paragraphs and some sound clips, missing some of the elemental progressive messages abundant throughout the events. Even C-Span failed to provide the level of coverage extended to the Libertarians, airing only McKinney's and Clemente's acceptance speeches (1hr. 18 min.), in contrast to the coverage offered the Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Debates, nomination and speeches (9+ hrs.). So, the fact that the media is not covering the Green Party is evident. What is not as clear is whether McKinney is in favor of those mainstream media opportunities that might come her way.

McKinney, who has been the target of repeated media attacks in the past, recently told Polidoc that she will not allow herself to be set-up for abuse by mainstream media. The cancellations of interviews cited by Clemente in the provided video may be from either side. Savvy media for candidates includes minimizing potential damage control. Look at Obama and his limitation of debates, clearly a move to minimize swiftboat opportunities. McKinney knows she is in a precarious position as she sets the stage for the Green Party to attract new communities of color, suspicious of liberal rhetoric without action.

The mainstream media must accept its responsibility to provide fair and balanced coverage to all the established candidates.  That includes Libertarian Bob Barr, Green Party McKinney, Peace and Freedom's Ralph Nader, and the Constitutionalist Chuck Baldwin.  Really, we are interested in what 1 out of a 100 think.  Any respectable reporter would refrain from artificially flaming a candidate - wouldn't they; likewise, every candidate needs to be prepared for the attack if - and when - it happens.

 

http://polidoc.blogspot.com

I am a documentary producer based in San Francisco, CA. My current project, "Seriously Green" watches the development of third parties during the course of the 2008 election cycle with an emphasis on the Green Party. You can find out more about (more...)
 

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Third party candidates

"Fair and balanced coverage by the media." What is Rosa Clemente smoking?

by John Shriver (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 72 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008 at 7:24:23 AM

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Reply: fair and balanced plea

We'd all like to see journalism elevated a little wouldn't we?

by Babette Hogan (12 articles, 2 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 14 comments) on Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008 at 10:36:17 AM

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Truth to Power - that's what Green Party campaign is about

Well, I understand that some may be put off by Rosa's "dissarming" style and frank language.

On the other hand, I think we ALL should be more than a little tired of vagueness, ad hominem attacks, occasional politeness, and superficiality of other candidates who are all over Prime Time, while covering up the realities of a vicious 24/7 Killing Machine running on Petroleum and your fast-fading-away dollars.

You may not like or enjoy it, but what the Green Party and its historic all-woman ticket have to say to America this year as too many of its long-ignored citizens bask in a phoney tokenism, is all that has been missing in the news and in any of the corporate party candidates' speeches and tv ads: The Occupation, Katrina, attacks on civil liberties, torture, and the destruction of our Constitution.

Other candidates mask their willingness to abandon working towards truly Sustainable Solutions (a now popular phrase which ignores the massive spending on wars, weapons systems and other humanity-depleteing abominations of perverse behavior). What about schools falling apart lik our bridges and precarious health-care system? Greens push for a single-payer healthcare system while the others go for modified plans that are Care Systems for Insurance Companies, not people. It is both shameful and pathetic. You think what pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies do with their campaign donations might affect the amount of media time offered to candidates actually speaking the truth?? Maybe, hmm....

The words of Cynthia, Rosa, the Green Party Platform and of other Green candidates should be grist for the mill , and WOULD be, if we had a functional democracy. We need it now more than ever. Support these courageous women and the courageous visionary Party that has put them into the race for the presidency. Call for fair media coverage of an historic ticket whose platform and plans very much resemble what most Americans want and not what corporate party funders demand. Support air time for them. Support their campaigns. Support the Green Party with your registratiion and your dollars.

Think about it. The Green Party for the most part is saying what YOU are thinking and feeling. It is voicing a direction to go while others are busy betraying our most basic values, and taking your support for granted. Your own ideas deserve your support, don't they? Well, then, the Green Party deserves your support so that YOUR own words and values will be heard by more and more people who know that it is time for a profound change.

Cynthia, 6-term congresswoman, first to call for impeachment, early opposition to the Occupation, the ONLY congressional defender of citizens against the looting of trillions of dollars from our Treasury, missing, disappeared by the "conservatives" in the Defense Department without either explanation nor accounting. McKinney and the Party along with the majority of New York City residents support a new investigation into the many unexplained occurrences of 911.

Now, THAT kind of courage we should be able to hear and know more about! Give your attention and support.

by alan k (12 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 36 comments [6 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008 at 11:09:45 PM

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Reply: Well said

Little to add, other than to say, as we said in Chicago at the nominating convention,

"Power to the People"

Run Cynthia Run

Current Republican motto--"Vote early and vote often-one of those votes may actually be counted."

Democratic motto "My vote will go to the Democratic candidate, and so will yours because we will make sure you have nowhere else to go." 

Vote Green --our motto--Power to the people.

Remember that the next time the major parties cook up another wallet-ectomy for us all to enjoy, and vote Green to get their attention and get your message across.

by Jack Harrington (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 675 comments [70 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008 at 12:52:24 PM

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Reply: "you should support your own ideas"

awesomly to the point

by monte letourneau (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 5 comments) on Thursday, Aug 14, 2008 at 7:49:06 AM

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