{news} Stamford Times on debate exclusion

[David Bedell]

Note: Ralph Nader is going to speak Saturday in Waterbury, Hartford, and Storrs about the exclusion of third-party candidates from debates.


http://thestamfordtimes.com/story/425115

Third party candidates barred from debates 

By CHASE WRIGHT
cwright@ thestamfordtimes.com

STAMFORD -- Green and Independent party candidates are expressing their frustration upon hearing that no third-party candidate will be allowed to participate this year in any of Connecticut's Congressional election debates sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut (LWVC). 

An e-mail sent to five aspiring candidates Monday highlighted insufficient campaign funds, failure to document positions and insignificant voter outreach as reason for the exclusion.

"The committee made a determination that your candidacy does not meet all of our criteria," wrote the League's vice president, Pat Donovan. "Therefore, unfortunately, we must deny your eligibility to participate in League-sponsored debates during the 2008 election season."

The candidates excluded-- Stephen Fournier, running for 1st Congressional District as a member of the Green Party, Scott Deshefy, a Green 2nd District candidate, Richard Duffee, a Green 4th District candidate, Harold Burbank, a Green 5th District candidate and Thomas Winn, running for the 5th Congressional District as an Independent -- expressed outrage upon hearing of the League's decision. 

Duffee called the League's judgment system, "sorely lacking." He said the LWV's criteria should be based on a candidates' ability to access a ballot, not their level of funding. 

But Donovan disagreed. She said that obtaining the required number of signatures to run for office does not translate into voter support, siting the candidacy of Lee Whitnum as an example.

Whitnum collected 5,000 signatures in August to run for a seat on the 4th Congressional District, yet she received just 1,900 votes in the district-wide primary against Jim Himes. 

Donovan added that the League is working with a limited timetable and can only give attention to candidates who have a real chance at being elected. Unfortunately, she said, those candidates are usually the one's with the most money. 

Duffee said the League never specified the level of monetary funding required to run an effective campaign. He criticized the League's decision while observing that in 2006, the League admitted Libertarian candidate Phil Maymin into debates after he raised $8,000. Duffee's campaign has raised over $9,000 thus far, he said.

"In terms of position papers, my website has more documentation than [Democratic candidate] Jim Himes," he said. "And as for outreach, I was told that the League wanted to see lawn signs or bumper stickers around the district. As an environmental party that refuses corporate funding, these are hardly things we can be enthusiastic about."

Burbank said the League's rigid rejection criteria reveals the problem of illegitimate democracy in this country. 

"Apparently the League believes in corporate sponsored campaigns alone, which is plainly where the major parties get their millions of dollars to run campaigns," said Burbank. "My experience tells me the voters do not support just corporate candidates; but rather the opposite. They still believe in one (wo)man, one vote, open elections, open election processes and open debates."

Burbank promised to stage protests at each of the League sponsored debates. His campaign has already rented a room near the debate hall for the scheduled debate in Litchfield on Oct. 22. 

Other institutions are also raising arms over the League's decision. Central Connecticut State University, who has a debate scheduled at the university's Thorpe Theater on Oct. 11, recently announced they're dropping the League's sponsorship of the debate for failing to include all candidates of the 5th District, as the League originally said they would. 

Burbank was among the first to hear of CCSU's decision and applauded the university's commitment to democracy. 

So far, the League has scheduled five debates throughout the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Districts, said Donovan. 

She noted that while the candidates are not allowed to participate in the League's debates, they can still take advantage of the On-Line Voters' Guide, which receives more 100,000 unique visitors annually. 

"We've done what we can to accommodate everyone," said Donovan. "But we have a limited amount of time in our debates, and we can only give that time to the people most likely to be elected." 

"That's nonsense," said Deshefy. "If I didn't feel I had a legitimate chance at being elected, I wouldn't be running."

He said the League made it's decision simply to keep the two giant political powers -- Republican and Democrat -- in power. 

What the League's criteria shows, said Deshefy, is the political process goes to the highest bidder and shuns grassroots campaigns that refuse corporate sponsorship.

"If we're ever going to achieve democracy, which I believe we have yet to achieve, we're going to have to do away the corruption and injustice of the current electoral system," he said. 

_________________________________________________________________
Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live.
http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008