Classy: NBC disinvites Dennis Kucinich to 1/15 debate after publicly inviting him!

[rjones2818]

Well, the big three only supporters have their wish. The January 15 debate will now be a three centerist candidate confab!

From http://www.dennis4president.com/go/homepage-items/nbc-un%11plugs-kucinich-from-presidential-debate/">Dennis4president.com

NBC un-plugs Kucinich from Presidential debate


Re-writes criteria to exclude candidate with ’dissenting’ positions

Less than 44 hours after NBC sent a congratulatory note and an invitation to Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to participate in the Jan. 15 Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas, the network notified the campaign this morning it was changing it announced criteria, rescinding its invitation, and excluding Kucinich from the debate.

NBC Political Director Chuck Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that, although Kucinich had met the qualification criteria publicly announced on December 28, the network was “re-doing” the criteria, excluding Kucinich, and planning to invite only Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former senator John Edwards.

So, Dennis meets their criteria for the debate. NBC even sends Dennis a congratulatory letter and an invitation to the debate. Ah, but since it's their microphone, they can call a re-do anytime they want, and they did. Class act, NBC, don't you think?

The criteria announced last month included a fourth-place or better showing in a national poll. The USA/Gallup poll earlier this month showed Kucinich in fourth place among the Democratic contenders.

In an email to the Kucinich campaign at 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, Democratic Party debates consultant Jenny Backus wrote:


“Congratulations on another hard-fought contest. Now that New Hampshire is over, we are on to Nevada and our Presidential Debate on Tuesday January 15. This letter serves as an official invitation for your candidate to participate in the Nevada Presidential Debate at Cashman Theatre in downtown Las Vegas. You have met the criteria set by NBC and the Debate.”

Not that it really matters, right? All centerism, all the time! Just what this party needs! I wonder if Keith will cover this on 'Countdown.' Probably not, since Dennis doesn't exist on 'Countdown' as far as I can tell. Maybe Rachel Maddow will mention it next time she's on the air.

Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that the network had decided to change the criteria and limit participation in the debate to only three candidates.

The centerists should be happy! Why?

Kucinich is the only remaining Democratic Presidential candidate who: voted against the original Iraq War authorization in 2002 and every war-funding measure since; voted against the so-called Patriot Act; advocates a national, not-for-profit health system that covers all Americans; has called for the repeal of NAFTA and withdrawal from the WTO; and proposes a national back-to-work program (Works Green Administration) patterned after the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Hey, it's not like NBC is owned by General Electric (one of the nation's leading, if not the leading, military contractors). Oh...they are? Hmmmm....

The Kucinich campaign, which filed an emergency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission last week because of ABC’s decision to exclude the candidate from a nationally televised debate, is considering legal action to address “the blatant disregard of the public interest in silencing public debate that dissents with the views of NBC, its parent company, GE, and all of the military contractors and their candidate-funding corporate interests. Corporate control of the media is one issue. Corporate media control of the information that is allowed to reach American citizens is much more dangerous, much more sinister, and much more un-American.”

Sinister and un-american! It's time for the tin-foil hats! Except, NBC admits that they re-did the criteria so that only the three centerists would appear on the stage. Changing the rules in the middle of a contest? How http://www.wwe.com of NBC!

“When ‘big media’ exert their unbridled control over what Americans can see, hear, and read, then the Constitutional power and right of the citizens to vote is being vetoed by multi-billion corporations that want the votes to go their way,” the Kucinich campaign said.

And what GE wants America to hear fromt the Democrats is the centerist position. Period.

[99th_Monkey]

1. The more Dennis shows balls of steel re: impeachment, election integrity, etc.

the more he will be "outed" and "disinvited" ... a very sad commentary on the state of our country's so-called "democracy".

[MADem]

2. NBC Political Director Chuck Todd

There ya go! He'd done well under a BUSHCO regime, hasn't he....? He's come a long way from doing that crappy little ROLL CALL TV SHOW on these here internets....

[davidwparker]

3. I'd prefer to see him there. I'd like to see JE get pushed more to the left

by him if nothing else. Dennis and Nader are great Americans and never whisy-washy about historic Democratic beliefs. Add Boxer to that list too (my choice for first woman president).

[Cleita]

4. Since Keith Olbermann works for NBC or GE, maybe it's

time to flood him with mail, email and telephone calls.

[book_worm]

5. That is pretty low even for one of the major networks

to send him a congratulatory letter and invitation and then two days later take it all away. If I were DK I'd be rightly upset.

[Whisp]

6. coincidence after Dennis is asking for a NH recount?

that's how I see it with the dates available. He was disinvited after his challenge became public.

?

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

7. tweety: "we're down to the big three"

obama, clinton and edwards.

he said this at the end of hardball with a pic of the "big three" promoting tuesday's debate.

chuck todd... HA!

[pberq]

8. "Democracy" at work! nt

[slipslidingaway]

9. "...since Dennis doesn't exist on 'Countdown' as far as I can tell..."

You noticed that as well!

The week of the fifth anniversary on the IWR vote Keith had both Elizabeth and John Edwards on the program, but not either candidate who stood up to Bush and the MIC BEFORE the war.

[slipslidingaway]

10. USA/Gallup links

http://www.gallup.com/poll/103630/Obama-Huckabee-Surge-Latest-National-Poll.aspx

http://www.pollster.com/08-US-Dem-Pres-Primary.php

[hfojvt]

13. Accprding to that second link, he has always polled ahead of Richardson

Yet I have read stories about Richardson surging into third in some places. I thought from the original standards that they did not expect to include him, thinking that somebody else would be in 4th, but with Richardson's withdrawal, he was 4th by default.

[slipslidingaway]

15. Not seeing the same thing, it appears to me that Kucinich was

polling under Richardson on the graph...until recently.

:shrug:

"I thought from the original standards that they did not expect to include him, thinking that somebody else would be in 4th, but with Richardson's withdrawal, he was 4th by default."

I think you are correct :(

[hfojvt]

17. from the "alternate chart" under the graph, the Kucinich-Richardson numbers

were 3-1, 3-3, 2-2, 1-2, 4-2, 5-3, 2-2, 2-3, 1-2, 2-4, 4-3 and those are polls going back in time. Okay, Kucinich was not ahead in every week/poll but he was ahead or tied in quite a few of them. Yet Richardson was treated as more of a serious candidate and included in more debates/events.

[slipslidingaway]

19. Now I see! Thanks for pointing that out...

"...Yet Richardson was treated as more of a serious candidate and included in more debates/events..."

:( :(

[frog92969]

11. Why won't he just shut his mouth so they'll give him fair press

coverage, fair debates, and fair polls?

Oh yeah, integrity

How unAmerican of him, you're either withus or aginus!

[emlev]

12. CALL/EMAIL NBC TO COMPLAIN (contact info)

* NBC/MSNBC at 212 664-4444 and ask for the Comment Line or
* email NBC/MSNBC at [e-mail]

Dennis's campaign is requesting this action. Whether or not you support his candidacy, if you think the voters, not the corporate media, should get to decide who our top candidates are, please make this call!

[slipslidingaway]

16. Left a message on the comment line, my emails to msnbc

have not been working for awhile???

And thanks for the phone number!

[tritsofme]

14. Kucinich should stop wasting everyone's time and drop out.

His dead-end fantasy campaign and the constant whining of his supporters is getting old.

He should go back to Congress and do something productive for the people who actually elected him to something.

[eridani]

20. He's kept up his attendance for critical votes.

Maybe you don't care about the 18,000 who die every year from being denied health care, but many of the rest of us do.

[senseandsensibility]

18. Boo hiss

:thumbsdown:

[Richard Steele]

21. Grrrecommended.

[Hoof Hearted]

22. damn. . .