Michigan Voters Lose First TV Debate
Green Party of Michigan
www.migreens.org
Committee to Elect Douglas Campbell for
Governor
www.votecampbell2006.org
October 05, 2006
Public TV Denies Public Access to Green Candidate Campbell;
Viewers See, Hear Less Than Half the Story of the Governor's Race
Pundits may spin and dispute over who won Michigan's
first televised gubernatorial debate Monday night. But the clear losers were the voters and taxpayers
of Michigan -- who were denied the chance to learn about three of the five
candidates in the race . . . and had to pay for the event, too.
Douglas Campbell, two-time candidate for governor of
the Green Party of Michigan (GPMI), was turned away by Michigan Public Broadcasting station WKAR-TV as he
went to check in for the debate, which had been touted for its open format.
Barred from the public airwaves by a public television station, Campbell spoke instead
to the press and crowd outside the studio on his campaign's message of "Peace, Jobs, and Justice".
Campbell will attend the remaining two scheduled TV
debates: a formal debate at WOOD-TV 8 in Grand Rapids Tuesday, October 10 and a town-hall forum Monday,
October 16 at WDIV in Southfield, both at 8pm.
Campbell also noted that WKAR-TV and MPB tried to use
the Catch-22 of an isolated poll, the first by that firm to even mention Campbell and two other candidates,
to excuse excluding them. Campbell, Libertarian Gregory Creswell, and
Bhagwan Dashairya of the US Taxpayers Party had met all qualifications for the
Nov. 7 ballot more than a month before the poll -- and before either of the two candidates WKAR allowed
on the air.
"A new political idea cannot gather support until it's been heard. WKAR's use of polls is contrived to
prevent new ideas from being heard until after they gather support. 'Wait until you meet the criteria'
actually means 'Wait forever'. It means people never hear a legally qualified candidate say that bringing
Michigan National Guard troops home, and ending the 'war' in Iraq, can also bring home more than enough
money to cover the SBT . . . or that the candidate knows there's no reason to
shoot doves -- Michigan's official bird of peace."
But the larger statewide audience was denied the chance
to see and hear Campbell express his views. As Campbell pointed out, "WKAR's board of directors shortchanged the
electorate by excluding diverse ideas. Their 'debate' did little more than re-air Dick & Jen's political
commercials -- using your tax dollars and mine."
Campbell urged voters to demand better. "Tell WKAR to
*be more* than half-hearted journalists, telling less than half the story of this election. And tell WOOD
and WDIV you want everyone *on* the ballot *in* the debates."
For information on Campbell, running mate David
Skrbina, and their platform, visit votecampbell2006.org.
Committee to Elect Douglas Campbell
www.votecampbell2006.org