Democracy Now! Re-Hosts NBC Las Vegas Debate to Include Kucinich

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Breaking the Sound Barrier: Democracy Now! Re-Hosts NBC Las Vegas Debate to Include Kucinich After NBC Wins Appeal to Exclude Him


Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich was missing from the stage at last night’s Democratic debate hosted by MSNBC in Las Vegas after he lost a last-minute legal fight with the network over his participation. Last week, NBC told Kucinich that he had met the criteria for the debate. Then, less than two days later, the network changed the criteria and declared that Kucinich was no longer qualified. On Monday, a Nevada judge ordered NBC to include Kucinich, but then NBC appealed the ruling and actively fought to keep him off the stage. On Tuesday night, less than an hour before the debate, the Nevada Supreme Court sided with NBC. Democracy Now! decided to break the sound barrier and give Kucinich a chance to take part. In an exclusive broadcast, we re-braodcast excerpts of the debate and give the Ohio Congressman a chance to answer the questions he might have faced if he hadn’t been silenced.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: There will be a defense authorization bill on the floor today under a suspension of the rules, which means that it’s considered to be noncontroversial. And my feeling is that it’s probably a confirmation of President Bush’s concerns and ameliorated by a Democratic congress. So I’m going to be there to challenge the bill, to speak on it, and to call for a vote and hopefully keep alive the issue of a contest over our defense spending policies.

AMY GOODMAN: Just to understand what you’re saying, you’re saying that last night, what, around midnight, you got a message that—this is the Democrats, not the Republicans, who are in charge of Congress—

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Right.

AMY GOODMAN: —were going to be taking on the defense authorization bill, voting for it, but not putting it on the record—it wasn’t a vote count, you don’t think?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Well, it would—you know, when something is put on a suspension calendar, it’s essentially something that’s considered to be noncontroversial. The Democratic leadership has been trying to work out some of the differences that they had with President Bush over the last—since Congress had adjourned for the holidays. And so, this bill, I was told, is the product of the negotiations between the Democrats and the White House. What I hope to do, assuming that it’s what was described to me, is to challenge the bill and some of the issues in defense authorization that were not brought up in the previous debate.

....

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/16/breaking_the_sound_barrier_democracy_now

[groovedaddy]

1. Good for DK...keep up the fight! n/t

[Orwellian_Ghost]

2. Did you see

the bit about the defense authorization bill being on the floor today with a suspension of the rules?

[crikkett]

4. What about it?

[babylonsister]

3. Thanks-just started here. nt

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. Unfortunately, the MSM will remain totally silent about this

The millions (?) of Americans who watched the debate will never see this re-edit. Pundits on television, cable and radio will offer no comment, much less comparisons between Kucinich's responses and the "viable" candidates' lack of responses.

:cry:

[dkofos]

6. That's what American democracy is all about.

So sad.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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