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Cobb to Risk Arrest Protesting Debate Exclusion. |
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COBB/LaMARCHE 2004 October 6, 2004 Contact: Blair Bobier, Media Director 541.929.5755 or 414.364.1596 Green Presidential Candidate Plans to “Cross the Line” in St. Louis Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb said today that the three debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates “are restricted, scripted and staged events which utterly fail to perform the vital function of informing the American people about the choices they have in this election.” Cobb plans to protest his exclusion from the three corporate sponsored debates by engaging in non-violent civil disobedience at the second debate in St. Louis on Friday. “Many of the greatest struggles of our time have been achieved through non-violent civil disobedience. It is a distinguished form of protest and dissent which has been used successfully by Rosa Parks, Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others. Right now, we are engaged in another epic struggle; a battle for the heart and soul of our democracy. These so-called ‘debates’ are an insult to democracy and the American people and, as a representative of the fastest growing political party in this country, I have an obligation to try and open them up to more voices,” said Cobb. Cobb-LaMarche Media Director Blair Bobier said he expects there to be a cordoned off area at the St. Louis debate and that Cobb would enter the restricted area as a form of protest, risking arrest. “The Commission on Presidential Debates is a sham entity founded by the two old establishment parties and run solely for their benefit. They are not interested in real democracy or in having real debates. The people know it and even the courts know it,” said Bobier. Recently, a federal judge, in ruling on a lawsuit brought by the Green Party and other independent parties and candidates, found that the Federal Election Commission had ignored evidence that the CPD acted in a partisan manner when it excluded all independent candidates from the 2000 presidential debates. The judge, on August 12, sent the case back to the FEC for reconsideration. The case is John Hagelin, et. al. v. Federal Election Commission, Civil Action No. 04-00731. Cobb and the Green Party will not be the only ones protesting in St. Louis. The St. Louis October 8th Coalition, an ad hoc organization comprised of students and activists from the St. Louis area, will hold a 4 p.m. “Parade for Real Democracy” which will culminate at Northmoor park, across the street from the debate site on the Washington University campus. Tonight, Cobb is participating in his third debate of the campaign against several other candidates at Cornell University. On Thursday, he will debate the Libertarian candidate, Michael Badnarik, in Austin, Texas. Cobb is participating in a total of five unrestricted debates. The fifth will be held at Eastern Tennessee State University on October 15. The Green Party is the fastest growing party in the U.S. More Information: search: elct, elws |