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Spread the word far and wide! This morning, dozens of community leaders, artists, and academics — including Tom Morello, Leah Bolger, Richard Wolff and Medea Benjamin — and thousands more joined together to launch Occupy the CPD.
Please join them at http://www.OccupytheCPD.org
WHY YOU SHOULD SIGN THIS URGENT STATEMENT
The presidential debates are the first opportunity for millions of voters to see the presidential contenders themselves, not just their advertising campaigns. These debates are organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) – a supposedly “nonpartisan” corporation which is a puppet of the national Democratic and Republican parties, and the big corporations that fund both of them. The CPD’s criteria to be included in these debates are designed to exclude independent contenders who promote ideas that challenge those in power.
WE DEMAND DEBATES OF, BY, AND FOR THE PEOPLE . . .
NOT THE CORPORATIONS:
We, the undersigned, demand presidential debates that include the real choices before the voters this November. The debates must include every candidate who is on enough ballots to win the White House and who has demonstrated a minimal level of support — meaning either 1% of the vote in a credible national poll, or qualification for federal matching funds, or both. In 2012, the Green and Libertarian party candidates both meet all of these criteria.
We call on the national news media, the League of Women Voters, and every other civic organization that speaks up for the rights of regular people to organize a 2012 presidential debate that includes all the qualified candidates.
We call on the Commission on Presidential Debates to change its arbitrary rules to include all the qualified contenders. And we urge our fellow Americans to rise up and demand democracy in our presidential elections, beginning today with the presidential debates. These debates belong to the people, not the politicians or Wall Street.
Signed,*
Tom Morello, musician
Leah Bolger, President, Veterans for Peace
Media Benjamin, co-founder, CODEPINK
Jodie Evans, Chair, Women’s Media Center
Jerome Scott, co-initiator, U.S. Social Forum
Dorothy Fadiman, film producer
Ken Volante, Statewide Political Organizer, Oregon Education Association
David Rovics, musician
David Swanson, Campaign Coordinator, RootsAction.org
Kevin Zeese, Co-Director, Its Our Economy
Margaret Flowers, October2011/Occupy Washington, DC
Brad Friedman, publisher of The BRAD BLOG
Brett Kimberlin, VelvetRevolution.US
Josh Healey, writer
Ben Manski, Liberty Tree Foundation
Richard D. Wolff, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Ed Needham, Occupy Wall Street, PR Working Group
Nancy Price and David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy
Victor Wallis, editor, Socialism and Democracy
James Ploeser, Occupy DC
Shamako Noble, President, Hip Hop Congress
* All identifications provided for ID purposes only, and do not imply an endorsement of any candidate or party.
Click here to join the sign-on statement: http://www.OccupytheCPD.org
DEMAND FAIR DEBATES! Occupy the CPD!
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Filed under: 3rd party, Action Alert!, activism, Corporations, debate, Election 2012, grassroots democracy, Green Party, independent politics, News, politics, presidential race, progressive politics, US Politics Tagged: | debate, gary johnson, Hip Hop Congress, Jill Stein, league of women voters, libertarian, Occupy Wall Street, Richard D. Wolff, Shamako Noble, Tom Morello
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