Facebook
Fark
digg
Reddit
Stumble
You Won't See This on TV
Viewing video requires the latest version of Adobe's Flash Player
Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008 | 2 a.m.
After an initial invitation, followed by an exclusion, a lawsuit and an appeal, MSNBC successfully barred Dennis Kucinich from the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas.
(Sun new media intern Jenna Kohler contributed to this report.)
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Post a comment
More Video »
- Locally owned and independent since 1950; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, best news website in the nation & DuPont Award for broadcast journalism
HOORAY FOR THE LAS VEGAS SUN!!!
One voice of truth in this wilderness
of corporate media spin.
PJ
I agree with PJ, the Las Vegas Sun did live up to it's charge as a media outlet by comprising this video and putting it out there for people to see.
I was at the free speech rally outside of the Cashman Center, rallying for the inclusion of a legitimate contender for the position of Public Servant #1.
Dennis Kucinich represents the mainstream, but the mainstream media is afraid to share his message.
A big thanks to the Sun for doing this.
What has happened to Kucinich and other reform candidates in this election is criminal, and Orwellian... It goes WAY beyond campaign hijinks and is in the realm of controlling our election process. The reason Kucinich is being deliberatly silenced is because of his message; such as universal not-for-profit healthcare, protection of the Free Election process by eliminating electonic voting, ending the war immediatly, and impeachment of Cheney and Bush... Which no other candidates will ever mention at all; even though they know they are popular (65% of Americans support universal not-for-profit healthcare alone... These percentages are much higher within the Democratic Party and the healthcare community). So why don't they want these issues to be mentioned on national TV?
Because the only candidate that does not take corporate money is the only one that can be relied upon to tell the American people the truth; and to protect our interests.
What really speaks volumes is that Hillary / Obama / Edwards choose/continue to participate in the debate(s) knowing that Dennis was/is barred. It'd feel like a hollow win for me. I'd be sick to my stomach. Too bad those three aren't.
Thank you Las Vegas Sun! Funny how the Corporations that brought us the "Official Story" of 9-11 are trying so hard to block Kucinich. They have no right to decide who is in OUR debates!!!!!!
So here's the story... It's a matter of sales.
These smiling faces that we put on parade.
Are all happily drinking lemonade on stage.
Calling it a serious 'gloves are off' debate,
But they all have dirt under their finger nails.
The are already among the ELITE...
They CAN NOT relate to low class refuse,
Like the other massive percent who 'live' life;
Surviving in a month what they spend in a day.
What path we are going on the American Way?
Funny, I want to hear more from SeaBiscuit...
FREE SPEECH is something you have to pay for,
Public airwaves are up for highest friendly bidder.
Kucinich, Paul, and Huckabee better just UNITE!
And share the seat of power, just ask the voter.
We have seen what happens when one corrupt idiot,
Devoid of empathy is alone on his rented throne.
The Round Table is a good idea, bring it back again.
myspace.com/knrdeunltd
Every time we allow Them to decide whom or what we're ALLOWED to hear (or see), we contribute to our own Manipulation.
Every time a news outlet swims against the current and reports what others want silenced, it contributes to fighting that Manipulation. Thank you, Las Vegas Sun for running this story.
Thank you to everyone who showed up outside the Cashman Center to protest this farce. I was especially impressed with the non-Democrats whose commitment to Freedom of Speech overrode party allegiance.
And thank you Clinton, Edwards, and Obama for NOT boycotting this exercise in Media Manipulation and Censorship:
You have demonstrated ALL TOO CLEARLY just where you stand on Freedom of Speech - and Democracy!
There is NO WAY that I would vote for ANY of you!
***
The last time Dennis Kucinich took part in a debate in Las Vegas (the CNN debate), he got the warmest response of any of the candidates from the Public. He ALSO protested against biased and objectionable questions, and spoke about topics (e.g. Impeachment) that the moderator tried to hush up - but the PUBLIC was enthusiastic about hearing.
No wonder GE / NBC doesn't want him to take part!
His message (and personality) are TOO attractive...
And he doesn't let himself get pushed around!
It all started going downhill in 1986, when the "nonpartisan" (actually bipartisan) Commission on Presidential Debates took over sponsorship of the Presidential debates during the general election from the League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters' policy for all debates is to include all candidates, including those from third parties on all ballots, and the two larger parties didn't want that. With the CPD (whose members are often corporate lobbyists) running the deabates, big corporate donors are more inclined donate to the debates - it's just another quid pro quo, another piece of the lobbying machine. And now, it seems that the CPD's general election debates are setting the tone for the NBC's of the world to further narrow the field - as if the amount of money needed to run a campaign these days weren't enough - during the primary season.
For more on League of Women Voters debate format:
http://www.lwvohio.org/debate.htm
For information on the running of debates, the role of the CPD and the recently formed counter-movement, the Citizens' Debate Council, see
http://www.opendebates.org
When was america really democratic. We the people are supposeds to decide the canadate after only hearing all the canadates speak. We are cheated when the choice is taken from us.
This is excellent! Thank you Las Vegas Sun, bravo.
Wow, I can't believe this is happening in the US the "land of the free" and "free speech". I thought that this kind of stuff only happened in Russia and China. This is really quite disturbing for the rest of the world. If it is going on in America then it can happen anywhere in the world. Citizens should be outraged at the media, how dare they presume the right to sensor our democracy. I would like to thank The Las Vegas Sun for doing this report at least we still have some real reporters out there.
Thank you Sun for publishing this news. I agree with gr8vegan that Hillary/Obama/Edwards should have refused to participate wtihout Kucinich. They probably don't want his views in the debate either.
Have you noticed that the Sun used the worse possible picture of Dennis and even his supporters. Congratulating the The Sun for covering this is akin to congatulating the rapist for using mouth wash. Don't be misled people.
Thank you for reporting this injustice... America please wake up!
Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul are the two most dangerous candidates to challenge the existing status quo in Washington and Washington establishment knows and fears them. That is why they are being excluded. They speak to the heart of the real needs of the American people, not such abstractions as face-saving glory to prolong a misguided war policy, "bringing democracy to the world" and international prestige.
The U.S. has already used up its currency with most of the world nations and lost their respect on the latter issue, while the real needs of the American people are being neglected and overlooked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMMyjnVtH...
Today is January 24th 2008
A black day in American History
Something died today
Not not the solders in Iraq
or
Afghanistan
or
Freedom of speech
nor
our Constitution
Something even more precious then all these things
What died today in America was...
Hope
The hope that we Americans would be delivered from the evil cabal that has hijacked America.
The evil cabal that planned these Middle East wars.
The evil cabal that planned 911.
That hope is dead now. Dennis Kucinch is out of the 2008 Presidential race
He has been terminated
Without a bloody shot being fired
NBC Universal successively terminated
his presidential campaign by keeping him
out of sight and out of mind during the
Crucial Nevada Democratic presidential debate
Today was a victory for war profiteer General Electric Corporation and it's subsidiaries NBC universal. Today was a victory for Media Mogul Jeffrey Zucker CEO of NBC
A defeat for Dennis Kucinch and the good people of this once great nation. By excluding Mr. Kucinch form the Nevada Democratic debate they have effectively sabotaged the election of 2008.
The end montage was created by davronru it's called "Divided States of Embarrassment 2.3" and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Ya8q...
Media have continually failed me in regards to the 2008 Presidential Election. I feel that the Sun has provided for the American people a view obviously censored by MSNBC and many other corporate businesses for fear that Kucinich will tell the truth. The most heartbreaking part about it lies in the complete irony that America boasts democracy while silencing a truly qualified candidate of his right to freedom of speech. The American people had the right to hear what Kucinich had to say at that debate. While this article cannot provide the opinions Kucinich would have given (because MSNBC selfishly decided it was unsafe to have him in the debate), the Sun's valiant effort to bring different voices to the plate is truly applaudable. Thank you.