Indiana Libertarian Party holds Presidential debate - And. . .
Even with Mike Gravel at the microphone, it was nearly impossible for the Libertarian party to drum up any media coverage for an Indiana presidential debate in late April. Looking at the video and judging by the smattering of applause, there were not many in the immediate audience either.
I post this as commentary on how difficulty it is for third party candidates to take part in the national dialogue and how staging debates that matter is still reserved for major party presidential candidates. There have been scores of televised political debates in North Carolina this year, for Governor and Lt. Governor Candidates for both parties, in what are very competitive races, but they too cannot break through.
Rock the Debates is conducting an Internet campaign to encourage major party candidates to debate third-parties, but they have no traction either. You may find their video campaign interesting, sort of a "drive-by-video" effort to sham mainstream candidates into inclusive debates.
Video of the debate
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: Libertarian, Debate access, Crowd-out, Indiana, Gravel
No Debates? - Hillary Wins in Local Markets
While the Clinton campaign continues to stoke the "Let's Debate" fires across four states with little chance of getting debates, there is payoff for the campaign via stories appearing in local press coverage. Every state thinks it deserves to be courted and one sure sign is hosting another debate.
Even if there are not debates Clinton continues to receive local press coverage when she and her surrogates reiterate calls for debates.
Howard Wolfson, a Clinton strategist/spokesperson dramatically, threw down the gauntlet mockingly speaking for Obama, ""You know, I'm going to take my marbles, I'm going to go home, I don't want to do this anymore.' Well, you know what, it's important for a presidential candidate to be able to debate well"
The National Journal's Hotline provides a dramatic example of how the debate-about-debates plays in local media outlets, visuals dominating:
With a band of like-minded area Clinton supporters, Dannie Chandler rented a yellow limousine, attached a chicken head to its roof and parked the avian display in front of the Obama office field office."He's just a chicken if he doesn't want a debate," Chandler, 64, said when reached via phone.
About 10 volunteers stood outside Obama's office for an hour and a half yesterday in the pouring rain, holding signs that read: "Too Chicken To Debate?" and "Running Scared In Indiana." Chandler and his poultry brood had to wear yellow parkas to protect themselves from the pouring rain.
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: debate about debates, local coverage, Indiana, Clinton
