Debate Commission "spoiling" democratic election

Contacts:
Nancy Allen, Media Coordinator
207-326-4576, nallen@acadia.net
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator
202-518-5624, scottmclarty@yahoo.com

Greens protest the Debate Commission's "spoiling" of voters' democratic right to be informed about candidates on the ballot, and demand Ralph Nader's inclusion in the debates

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the Republican and Democratic Party have unveiled their platforms, the Green Party has stepped up its demand for candidate Ralph Nader's inclusion in the presidential debates.  The first debate will take place in Boston on October 3, and the Commission on Presidential Debates, chaired by Democratic and Republican party leaders, is determined to shut out Mr. Nader, as well as Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan.

The 2000 party platforms of the Democrats (adopted on July 7) and Republicans (draft issued on July 27) show convergence on issues many voters care about, including free trade and military spending.  The Democratic Platform seeks to undermine the social safety net protections of the New Deal and Great Society, joining the Republican in favor of gutting public services and resources.  The effect will be a narrow debate in which issues affecting the lives of Americans get ignored when Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush face off.  Greens have begun to discuss ways of protesting the Commission's policy.

Mr. Nader has noted that "National polls consistently show that the public is in favor of Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan being in the national debates this year, but the leadership of the Democratic and Republican parties is more interested in retaining power than in expanding democracy and voter choice."

Greens also challenge the obsession of many media commentators with the possibility that Mr. Nader might "spoil" the election by siphoning votes that otherwise belong to Mr. Gore.  Of course, Mr. Gore owns no one's vote except his own; he must earn our votes much as any other candidate, and his campaign had lagged long before Mr. Nader joined the race.  (Why not charge Mr. Bush with "spoiling" Mr. Gore's chances?)  Furthermore, if the U.S. employed Instant Run-off Voting in conducting at-large elections, we'd ensure that the President would be elected with majority support, without questioning the participation of third parties like the Greens.

The media have thus overlooked a dramatic news story: the Debate Commission's spoiling of democratic values of fairness, freedom of political participation, and voters' right to be informed in its exclusion of candidates like Mr. Nader.

Although Mr. Nader has joined Mr. Buchanan's lawsuit against the Commission, the victims of the Commission's assault are American voters, for the following reasons:

Since the debates, with poll-based criteria for inclusion, in effect tell American voters which candidates may be considered "acceptable" or "serious" contenders (and which may not, through their exclusion), reliance on the polls elevates private opinion surveys above the level of public elections, substituting polls for a legitimate democratic procedure.

Democracy only works when voters are informed.  If voters are denied the opportunity to learn which candidates on the ballot represent their interests and views, the electoral process has been subverted.  Through the Debate Commission, the Democratic and Republican Parties have assumed the role of a Soviet-style politburo.

Ralph Nader expresses the views of millions of Americans, people who favor national health insurance, who oppose free trade cabals (WTO, NAFTA, etc.) that have the power to override national and local labor and environmental protections, who support a livable wage law, who want candidates not compromised by corporate money (Greens accept no such funding).  These Americans have a right to know that a candidate agrees with them, and to hear Mr. Nader argue on their behalf.

Who has the right to determine what makes a candidate "serious"?  Even a candidate with little chance of winning an election will draw votes from Americans seeking to build and advance a party or political agenda, or to register protest against the major party candidates.  In a democracy, there are many legitimate reasons for choosing a candidate to vote for, and voters deserve to know these options.

The Commission's requirement of 15% support in the polls for participants has the circular effect of inducing the media to ignore candidates who would achieve the 15% if given sufficient media coverage -- or would surpass 15% if they participated in the debates.  The threshold is a political maneuver to close out competition.

The Green Party encourages all Americans, regardless of party or the candidates they support, who feel cheated by the Presidential Debate Commission's manipulation of our free elections to protest and demand that Mr. Nader and other third party candidates be invited to participate in this year's debates.  Greens also urge the media to consider how dramatic and newsworthy Mr. Nader's participation would prove in a debate with Al Gore and George W. Bush.

 

More information:

Green Party platform: http://www.gp.org
Nader 2000 Campaign: http://www.votenader.org
Association of State Green Parties: http://www.greenparties.org

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