Blog For Arizona

CPD Announces Presidential Debates

Th Commission on Presidential Debates has announced the dates, locations, and terms of the debates. Nothing surprising, they will be held in FL, OH, MO, and AZ. Oh, and Nader is not welcome... again.

The qualifications for debate participation exclude him, and likely any third party candidate. You have to get 15 % or greater popular support before you can sit at the table or stand at a podium sponsored by CPD.

As much as I do not want people to vote for Nader in preference to Kerry, I think that the things Nader would say, the issues he's raise, and challenge he would pose to both Kerry and Bush would be a valuable education for American voters. Nader has earned his place on the stage by qualifying is the number of states he has. His portion of popular support prior to the debates is irrelevant - getting people's support when they are listening is the whole point. The cut-off should be 1%, exluding the nuts, but allowing in marginalized candidates.

This move to exclude all but those who are already having their voices heard is obnoxious, and treats American's as if they were morons. By claiming to exclude 'fringe' views, the CPD are in fact only reinforcing CW and recieved opinion at the expense of the new ideas American political parties must face and struggle with to grow. If the major parties need never defend themselves against 'maginal' views, they will ossify, stagnate, and die. The GOP and the Democrats are doing themselves no favors by this rule - they are hastening the day of thier irrelevance.

posted by Michael Bryan @ 6/20/2004 12:24:00 AM