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Presidential Debates - Outrage!
Date: January 21, 2000
To: Vermont Republican Party
Just a brief e-mail to express my outrage at the decision of the
"Commission on Presidential Debates" to exclude any representation
other than Democrats & Republicans. While not stating it as such, a
restriction of 15% approval rating based upon polls does in essence
eliminate any 3rd party involvement. No 3rd party candidate based
upon this criteria would have ever been involved in previous debates.
Even Ross Perot who garnered 19% of the votes was not at this level
prior to the 92 debates. This 15% criteria is both inaccurate,
and more importantly, abrogates the responsibility of the Commission
to the pollsters. To make this decision based upon criteria from,
ABC-Washington Post, CBS-New York Times, NBC-Wall Street Journal,
CNN-USA Today-Gallup and Fox News-Opinion Dynamics is ludicrous.
Living in VT I certainly don't feel these polls are representative of
my opinion personally, or the general population as a whole. To keep
a party out of the debates that received 19% of the popular vote, is
recognized by the FEC, and is running with Federal funds is a slap in
the face of Democracy. This decision by Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. (former
Republican national chairman) and Paul Kirk (former Democratic
chairman) is neither fair, nor objective. At the risk or sounding
like an extremist, it appears that the two parties are working
together to keep a common enemy from encroaching on their territory.
No other 3rd party candidate realistically has a chance to defeat both
parties other than Pat Buchanan. Both parties realize that were he to
get into the debates he would express his positions, clearly and
effectively. In a debate format there isn't a candidate out there
(with the possible exception of Alan Keyes) who can communicate as
effectively as Pat. I watch both the Republican and Democratic
debates; the parties have cause to fear, with a candidate like
Buchanan who articulates positions, and explains his policies, not
hedges answers based upon public opinion. It is an affront to
Democracy to keep the 3rd party candidate whoever he/she may be out of
the debates. To quote reform party spokeswoman Nancy Couperus, "It
is incredible that an arm of the U.S. government sets out to protect
the monopoly fostered by the two parties at the very same time the
Justice Department is taking steps to break up the monopoly of
Microsoft." And to quote Pat himself:
"The Reform Party is a recognized national party. It is receiving
federal funds for its convention and its national campaign. The idea
that its two rival parties should have the power to exclude the Reform Party and its
presidential candidate from the decisive event of the election of 2000
is absurd on its face. It is a manifest conflict of interest for them
to dictate to the American people which presidential candidates may
appear in the televised debates that will determine our next
president. If this were done in the private sector it would be
condemned as conspiracy in restraint of trade."
Very sincerely,
Bob Harris - ISO Management Representative
Bennington, Vermont
bharris2@wallace.com
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