NBC Disses Dennis On Debates! Could Flash Mobs And Cheap Camcorders Change NBC's Mind?

Mulcahey -
My point was that while a lot of people agree with Kucinich, THOSE SAME PEOPLE weren't supporting his campaign - either financially or by saying they were going to vote for him (he was never a contender in any of the polls about how people were going to VOTE - he won opinion polls about who won the individual debates). This race is about a lot more than pithy remarks at a debate - it's also about the man (or woman). My contention is that while DK's views on many issues are popular and interesting, he as a presidential candidate is not.
Russert asked DK about UFO's because he had previously admitted he saw them and believed in them. He opened the door on that one himself - HRC or any other candidate never brought the issue up.
And, finally - just because I "really like the guy" doesn't mean that I think he should be president. Therefore, as the race heats up, I think in the interest of democracy the completely non-viable candidates have to get out of the way and let the country concentrate on the 3 remaining who still have a shot. The media has an obligation to listen to the public about what candidates they want covered - if DK got the same coverage as Obama and Hillary, that wouldn't exactly be serving the public either. Because, honestly it was the country that decided which candidates were the most viable. DK never got any VOTES - which is how we know the public at large doesn't take him seriously. On the other hand, a guy like John Edwards has a lot of support from VOTERS, even though he is largely ignored by the media. He has a case to be made against the media - talking about DK on this issue I think only muddles it and takes away from the legitimate point that Edwards is making.

I'm a little confused by that argument, cmr. What exactly do you consider "support"? If you consider the opinions of a few corn-growers "support," then no, Dennis did not win them over. But if you consider polls from the other 98% of the nation "support" - polls which you acknowledge Dennis won - then he had every right to be in that debate.
Maybe the "support" Dennis lacks is the kind that comes from people who admit that they 'really like the guy' but don't stand up for his right to speak.
I contend that people DO take Dennis seriously, but the media doesn't. You wouldn't see Tim Russert asking Hillary questions about UFOs. Maybe if we stood up to the NBCs of the world and supported the candidates we like, we could tell THEM who to take seriously, and not the other way around.

Am I missing something here? I'm all for protecting democracy, and I agree that John Edwards has been unfairly ignored by the mainstream media given his current popularity among the voting public. But this Dennis Kucinich argument makes no sense to me. There were 16 Democratic debates between April 26th, 2007 and December 4th, 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_presidential_debates,_2008

Kucinich participated in 15 of the 16 and was only excluded from 1 of the Iowa debates because he had no staff in the state (I know he argued this point, but let's not here - also there were other debates in the state of Iowa that he participated in). The point is - he had plenty of media attention from April until December. He had plenty of time to garner support and raise money just like the other candidates. Polls even show he won several of the debates! The fact is, however, he just never got the support from voters. Yes, people like what he says (me included) but he didn't get enough support to be considered a serious contender. At what point is it doing a DIS-SERVICE to democracy to let an irrelevant candidate participate in debates long after the public has spoken about his candidacy? Honestly - for those of you who watched the latest Nevada debate - can you imagine Kucinich there? It wouldn't be fair - he can say anything he wants because he knows he doesn't have a shot at winning (which may be the reason what he says in the debates is always so popular) - but in the end, no one ever takes him seriously as a candidate. Meanwhile, the 3 serious contenders are sweating out every word and trying not to destroy their standing in the closest race we've had in many years. Even though I actually really like the guy - I think we have Dennis Kucinich to blame for his exclusion from the presidential race - not the media.

I'm really upset that this is the second time Kucinich was denied participation in the debates..we deserve to hear everyone.. it shouldn't be up to a friggin network to decide who gets heard and seen..

I'm in NYC, but only for the next two days. If you guys are serious about doing this, send me a message and we'll put this together. FAST.

I'm ready! Where and when?! Kucinich deserves to be heard! And what's more, he deserves to be elected!

Aw, If I weren't in CA I'd be with you guys. Organize! Seriously guys, you have to push this!

From your lips to Current's ears!!!

All we really need is about 20 or so college kids (they always have free time for flash mobs) who have camcorders and the guts to just march right into NBC and cause a "scene" demanding answering in regards to why Dennis was being eliminated from the debates. Remember those cheesy anti-tobacco commercials the government forces the cigarette-makers to produce as part of their settlement? I'm picturing something like that only in real life.

A better question is: who do we know that lives in New York (that is where NBC headquarters is, right?) We can do this ourselves. If Current were willing to help us organize just a little, that would be good too!

Who out there knows how to get in touch with Michael Moore?!