Mike Gravel was notified that he did not meet the NBC criteria for debate participants. This is a dangerous step. What right do the media have to decide who has a shot at winning. Contact info included, so you can tell NBC they are wrong.
Below you'll find Mike Grave'ls response to NBC and NBC's comment.
Letter from Mike Gravel:
A Letter from Mike Gravel also posted on the Huffington Post
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
In the past year, I have attended 11 national Democratic debates of which two were sponsored by corporate media giant NBC. However, last week, NBC suddenly conjured up arbitrary polling and fundraising requirements specifically designed to exclude me. None of the previous debates I attended held such requirements.
When my staff called NBC directly to find out why I was now barred from attending, Chuck Todd, NBC news' political director, told us that there were three criteria we did not meet, namely that I had not campaigned in New Hampshire and/or Iowa at least 14 times in the past year, that I was not polling at 5% and that I hadn't raised $1 million.
It is clear that NBC just wants me out of the race. This was made evident by the fact that NBC did not even inform me of its arbitrary criteria before making the decision to stifle my campaign. NBC's Todd waited until 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19, to inform my staff that I was not invited to the Oct. 30 debate at Drexel University in Philadelphia. That's a fact!
Since I announced my candidacy for the Democratic Nomination for President of the United States on April 17, 2006, I have certainly traveled to New Hampshire and Iowa at least 14 times. And, according to a recent CNN poll, I am tied with Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich and Chris Dodd.
NBC claims I haven't raised enough money to qualify. I'm proud of the fact that I don't collect millions from special interests (or fugitives like Norman Hsu). The reason why Senator Hillary Clinton seems to have a fundraising scandal every month is because money has corrupted our democracy. By stifling my voice on the basis of fundraising dollars, NBC is reinforcing the power of money over our national political discussion and our freedom.
But why has NBC suddenly come up with "requirements" designed to exclude me from the debate?
NBC's decision is proof that our corporate media do not want a genuine debate over our impending war with Iran. During the last debate I was the only one to aggressively confront Senator Clinton over her vote to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. Had I not brought up the subject, seasoned NBC commentator Tim Russert, the moderator of the Sept. 26 debate, would not have even asked about it.
Most Americans still don't appreciate the gravity of that vote and they don't understand that our government is intentionally raising roadblocks to diplomacy. Corporate media have once again failed to investigate how Bush and a compliant congress have set us on the warpath. Instead the media simply parrots the demonization of Iranian President Ahmadinejad and the administration's unproven accusations against Iran. NBC and the other corporate media have jumped on the war bandwagon and they are determined to shut up anyone who tries to stop it.
The fact that NBC is owned by General Electric, one of the world's leading military contractors, is frightening and certainly smacks of censorship directed at the most outspoken critic of the influence that the military-industrial complex holds over this great nation. In the past decade, GE has benefited financially from the global war on terrorism and currently holds almost $2 billion in military contracts .
So I ask that anyone, who is as concerned as I am about the power of the mainstream media and the military-industrial complex, speak out in support of my campaign today.
2. Contact NBC and GE and tell them they are wrong for trying to stifle my campaign! Here are there emails you can copy/paste into our "TO:" field of your email.
Finally, since the powers that be now require that I raise $1 million in order to participate in the debates, please make a donation to my campaign.
I will not stop. In fact, this fuels my fire even more.
Unlike my fellow candidates, I am not focused on raising millions of dollars; I am focused on fixing representative government. Help us reach that arbitrary threshold for financing and I will continue to fight for democracy and peace for all of us, not just the wealthy.
PS. PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM! If you live anywhere near Philly, we are planning an event at University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 30, the night of the debate. If you live in the area and would like to attend, please contact my office via email at phillydebate@gravel2008.us.
Posted: Monday, October 22, 2007 9:05 AM by Mark Murray (Mark Murray is NBC Deputy Political Director) Thanks for your emails about the recent decision not to include former Sen. Mike Gravel at the next MSNBC debate. As you may already know, no network has given Gravel more of an opportunity to get his message across than NBC and its affiliates. But with the election season beginning in just 73 days, and more candidates (135 alone on the Dem side) trying to get into our debates, we believed it was necessary to have some minimum standards. Leaders and activists from both parties believe our requirements are very fair. Unfortunately, Gravel did not meet those requirements. The standards we used included measuring the amount of time the senator spent campaigning, as well as poll standing and financial resources.
Mike Todd is NBC's political director. Me, I'm going to change the channel when he comes on, unless this policy is changed. Who the hell is Mike Todd to decide who participates in the Democratic primary. Gravel is a major contender. I challenge NBC to post a poll to see what its viewers think.
Gravel's suggestion, that NBC owner GE is playing with the presidential selection process, keeps coming into my head. This is beyond shameful. It verges on criminal. In earlier days of the US democracy, it would have been illegal. Today, it just shouldn't be.
I call for the other Democratic presidential candidates to speak up on the behalf of Gravel. Clinton and Edwards should be the first, since they were caught whispering, some months ago, about trying to get rid of the lesser candidates. That might redeem them for their bad intentions.
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.
and there are Rob's quotes, here.
To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video
My radio show, The Rob Kall Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at either www.wnjc1360.com or here.
A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
Yes, but let's see if the DNC defends Gravel's rights.
I bet they won't lift so much as a finger to fight for him. In fact, they probably colluded with NBC in making this decision in the first place. No doubt the campaigns of the 3 "top tier" candidates were in on the whole thing from the get-go.
This will be an instructive demonstration of how little the Dem Party really cares about democratic rights -- even of its own candidates.
by
Richard Mynick (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 1168 comments)
on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 7:09:40 PM
The DNC won't do anything - in deference to Hillary Clinton
Remember, Gravel's truth-to-power answers were directed right at Clinton for the most part. She's their stock candidate. The DNC will do anything to protect her status.
by
markthshark (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments)
on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 3:54:49 AM
Good for you Tim. And thank you Rob for posting this. If I lived anywhere near Philly I would be there to. I will call and will donate.
NBC is owned, of course, by the global elites. (may as well just say that because it is true). I doubt it will change its authoritarian tactics. But, that said, if anyone still doubts that the media works to support the ends of the elite.......
by
richard (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 789 comments)
on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 7:16:12 PM
I've sent the proper emails. Now, I will make sure that when I talk politics outside of the comfort of my home, I mention Gravel and the injustice that has been done to him.
In the meantime, Kucinich supporters...join me in support Gravel. He's like Kucinich in that he truly cares about us unlike the rest of the Democratic candidates. The rest cater to the establishment and corporations and pretend to be for the poor and middle class. They are wolves in sheep's clothing.
I only trust Kucinich and Gravel in this election. And I am not giving up on Gravel's right to be part of the debates until the very end.
by
Kevin Gosztola (212 articles, 114 quicklinks, 70 diaries, 811 comments)
on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 9:56:29 PM
The last election cycle, they threw Michael Badnarik and the Green Party Candidate (whose name escapes me at the moment) IN JAIL, rather than even letting them GO INTO the preznidential debate! However, that is not an exact analogy... Here is THIS...
They have done the same sort of thing to Ron Paul THIS year, and he is doing better than McCain both in polling and in fundraising!!
Outrageous? You bet! But if I were a conspiracy theorist, I would be thinking that the media is being manipulated by the same powers that tell the parties who is ALLOWED to run........
but HEY!! we have the best government money can buy..
Ciao, CZ
by
steve scheetz (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 591 comments)
on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 8:14:46 AM
Maybe Gravel should've been given more of a head's-up on when he had to reach which thresholds to avoid being excluded. I could see that argument. But if he really wanted to win, he should've taken this whole "campaigning for president" thing a bit more seriously. Hopefully he'll do that in 2012.
by
pseudo larry (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 3:49:34 PM
I like Gravel, but at somewhere the field has to be narrowed
While I vehemently disagree with his politics, I love him for his forthrightness and his unwavering adherence to principles, but at some point, both sides of this election circus need to begin winnowing out those who don't stand a chance.
Mike Gravel reminds me of Eugene McCarthy in the '68 election. A man who believes wholly in what he is saying. That is a rarity in politics these days. Most are too fearful of alienating some group or another so everything they say is benign and meaningless.
Now it may be argued by some that it is the electorate's job to do so and I agree to a point, but there are some in both the Republican and the Democrat fields who need to begin to face the reality that they are not viable candidates.
As a Republican, among those who need to begin to re-evaluate their campaigns are a couple of my favorites, but the "never will be's" just dilute the ability of the press to focus in on the might be's.
Still, I'm not going to disagree entirely. As I said, sometimes in the lagging moments of the debates, some of the most refreshing comments come from those who have nothing to lose.
Would that some of those who are front runners would demonstrate the kind of backbone that Gravel has shown.
Perhaps if there is enough of a groundswell NBC might relent, but I wouldn't bet my life on it.
Nice catch Rob.
by
Will Malven (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 36 comments)
on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 8:24:58 PM
NBC's decision to exclude Mike Gravel from the Democratic Presidential Debate is a travesty of democracy.
It is clear that NBC and all of the other corporate giants would like for Mr. Gravel to just "go away". And he can take his high falutin ideas about what is good for the common American like me and you with him!
Last I checked we were living in a "democratic" society with free and fair elections. A previous poster said it best, "We have the best government that money can buy!"
Please make your voice heard and do whatever is in your power to keep NBC and others from perverting our democracy.
I spent this morning contacting some of NBC's competitors, hoping that they will seize the opportunity to bash the competition with this story. Too bad that is probably only wishful thinking, since all of the mainstream media are as bad, if not worse, than the fine folks at NBC who are trying to destroy our "democratic" system.
by
Kris Malmquist (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 29 diaries, 90 comments)
on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 7:32:37 AM
Gravel's campaign is languishing because he cannot attract enough supporters.
It is up to those who are so outraged to do their part, which is not to attempt to force NBC to capitulate, but to campaign for, collect contributions for, and contribute to, his campaign. Otherwise it is just belly-aching.
by
Will Malven (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 36 comments)
on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 9:56:03 AM
It seems to me that the best way to get NBC & MSNBC & GEs attention is with a boycott. If you really care, quit watching NBC & MSNBC and quit buying GE products. I have done so, why don't you? Hit them where it hurts, in the pocketbook. Follow through to the DNC with a letter to let them know what and why you're boycotting the money-grubing arseh-----.
by
Kenneth Briggs (125 articles, 88 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 108 comments)
on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 10:22:34 AM
This is the same crap they pulled with Ron Paul: When an overwhelming majority of online voters decided that Ron Paul had won the recent Republican debate, they decided that "oh, somehow this poll must have been rigged", and SHUT IT DOWN. Only after being deluged with thousands of angry emails and phone calls did the executive who had made the call relent, with a personal reply of apology.
The only reason they are now allowing Ron Paul into the debates is that his fundraising has jumped dramatically, while earlier on there was at least one debate he'd been excluded from.
NBC/MSNBC viewers need to let them have it with both barrels: Let them know that unless they relax their "rules" a bit to include top-tier/well-known candidates such as Gravel and Kucinich, we'll be watching our debates elsewhere.
I'm a Ron Paul supporter personally, but I know that Gravel and Kucinich each have their devoted (rabid?) followers: Somewhere they must be doing something right! Their voices, as alternatives to the establishment, deserve to be heard.
by
Melissa E (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 27 comments)
on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 11:37:56 AM
14 comments
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