The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable

Thanks to Ballot Access News for this post.



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Reception:5:45 - 6:30PM
Debate:6:45 - 8:30PM

NYU Skirball Center
566 LaGuardia Place
at Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Tickets:$40 ($12 for students w/ ID)

Intelligence Squared is a forum that gathers together experts to debate public policy, every month. The moderator is usually John Donvan, an ABC News correspondent who was once ABC’s White House Correspondent. The debates are held in New York City and can be heard on National Public Radio and seen on Bloomberg TV.

The February 15 debate is titled “The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable.” Speaking in the affirmative are David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, and Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post. Speaking in the negative are author Zev Chafets and satirist P. J. O’Rourke.

Use the above link for more information.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Rock The Debates!

Never before in American history has it been more vital to have an open, honest, and innovative examination of America’s problems and solutions.

The best way to sparking the minds of Americans is to open up the presidential debates beyond the Democrat and Republican parties. Rock-the-Debates seeks to include third parties who will energize the presidential debates placing their ideas into the mix, without endorsing or opposing any particular candidate. We just want the ideas out and let the American people decide.

Use the above link to get envolved.

A Nevada judge has ordered MSNBC to include Representative Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic presidential candidate, in Tuesday night’s debate in Nevada, the Associated Press reports. The debate was expected to feature Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. Charles Thompson, a senior district court judge for Clark County, Nevada, said he would issue an injunction stopping the debate if Mr. Kucinich is excluded. In a statement, MSNBC responded: “We disagree with the judge’s decision and are filing an appeal.”

The Nevada Supreme Court has ruled that NBC’s debate can go forward without Kucinich.

Michael H. Drucker
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Demand Open Debates

STAND UP FOR FAIR ELECTIONS.

DEMAND THAT THE CORPORATE MEDIA INCLUDE ALL BALLOT-QUALIFIED CANDIDATES IN THE TELEVISED DEBATES.

ABC and Fox News are sponsoring debates just before the New Hampshire presidential primary.

Both ABC and FOX are ruthlessly using their control of these debates to limit choice of American voters -- before the first vote is cast!

Use the above link to Take Action.

Michael H. Drucker
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Open Debates

We are always for open debates for any party or independent candidates.

Ron Paul pressures Fox News
Ron Paul’s campaign says he’s planning an alternative event at the same time as the Fox New Channel’s Republican forum in New Hampshire on Sunday if the network continues to hold back on an invitation, a campaign official tells Politico. Jesse Benton, Paul’s national press secretary, said he likely would hold a town hall with New Hampshire citizens — an event that would amount to counter-programming and would likely generate considerable publicity for the anti-war libertarian. Fox News has not specified its exact criteria for the debate, but debate planners have long yearned to winnow the cast to permit more substantive and detailed conversation.

Dennis on Open Political Debates
Presidential debates are the single most important event in the process of selecting a presidential candidate. They provide the American people with the opportunity to view all viable candidates as they discuss important issues in an unscripted manner, designed with the best interests of the people, not the political parties, in mind. They are an essential component of true democracy in America.

Unfortunately, the value of this democratic principle has failed under the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Established in 1988 as an extension of the major political parties, the CPD has transformed the presidential debates from dynamic political forums to "glorified news conferences," where candidates recite prepackaged sound bites and avoid discussion of significant issues.

I believe in the power of open debates to restore higher values of democracy and voter education to the American political process. By establishing a Citizen's Debate Commission to replace the CPD, the American public can once again see presidential debates that are rigorous, fair, and inclusive of important issues and all popular candidates. There is an increasing demand for voices that challenge the bipartisan consensus on many critical issues in America, and I am one of those voices. It is time for open debates that will serve the American people first.

Keep Mike in the Debates
Why is it that the Republican Party is more fair than the Democratic Party when it comes to the presidential debates? The recent debate in Iowa where Alan Keyes was allowed to participate, while Mike and Dennis Kucinich were excluded, is concerning to many progressives who view this as an attempt on the part of the Democratic leadership to get rid of its progressive members. Is this what's happening? Why are the candidates who advocate ending the war immediately and who support equal rights for the LGBT community being sidelined?

What do you think and what would you do to fix this?

Michael H. Drucker
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Question the Candidates

POLITICAL.com is hosting the ability to submit your questions to the candidates in their debates. The Republican Debate is Wednesday, January 30, 2008. The Democratic Debate is Thursday, January 31, 2008.

Use the above link to submit your questions.

Michael H. Drucker
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