Wednesday October 15, 2008, 2:02 pm
Thinking outside the square?...

If you haven’t gotten your fill of presidential debates after watching the McCain-Obama match-up this evening, mark your calendar for Sunday night.

That’s when Free and Equal.Org, a group formed to encourage third-party candidacies, is promoting a debate at the Columbia Political Union at Columbia University in New York for all six candidates seeking the presidency. The group is pretty much resigned to the fact that neither Senator John McCain nor Senator Barack Obama will be there.

But, others will show, they say. Amy Goodman, principal host of “Democracy Now!” a program of the left-leaning Pacifica radio, will host the event. C-SPAN will also be there to record it. Ms. Goodman, in a recent syndicated column, called for opening the current two-party debates, to more candidates. “It will not only make for better television,’’ said Ms. Goodman in her column, “it will make for better democracy.”

Just exactly who will be there is still murky, since certified letters have just gone out to all candidates, say event organizers. Ralph Nader, who is on the ballot in 45 states as an independent candidate, has indicated he will show up. Cynthia McKinney, former member of Congress from Georgia and the Green Party candidate, will also be there, according to her website. Ms. McKinney is on the ballot in 30 states. Also invited is Chuck Baldwin, running on the Constitution Party ticket in 35 states.

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 2:38 pm
Remember this: "And for God's sake, stop labeling yourself and others as "liberals" or "conservatives." Those labels are meaningless. There's only the super-rich and the rest of us. There's only predators and prey."

Meltdown : Economist James Galbraith shows how (neo)conservatives engineered financial free-fall

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 2:52 pm

NOTED!


"... The group is pretty much resigned to the fact that neither Senator John McCain nor Senator Barack Obama will be there.

But, others will show, they say. Amy Goodman, principal host of “Democracy
Now!” a program of the left-leaning Pacifica radio, will host the event. C-SPAN will also be there to record it. Ms. Goodman, in a recent syndicated column, called for opening the current two-party debates, to more candidates. “It will not only make for better television,’’ said Ms. Goodman in her column, “it will make for better democracy."


p.s. Remember to go to
www.vote-smart.org
for information
about all of the
candidatees!

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 3:27 pm
i am not voting for sarah p animal killer that is for sure

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 4:36 pm
I think you have drawn two short straws on this one...how will you decide?
Flick a coin...spin a bottle...spent the next six months drunk and the next four years in rehab...smoke something naughty and see the world as a colourful beautiful place for an hour or two?

Well there's one thing is for sure you can't have someone as boring as our man Non-Flash Gordon...after the banking crisis he might have to become Non-Stick-Gordon...at least your politians do something even if it is the wrong thing...it is rumoured the Gordon once has an original idea...about the last time he moved errrr many years ago.

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 5:36 pm
Is 3:19pm Aussie time? I'll look this up, could be interesting. Strange that they didn't contact these people sooner!

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 7:00 pm
Chomsky is correct with his whole "manufactured consensus"line."Democratic"choices have narrowed in most western countries..in the US for example ,there are two parties committed to the status quo.They are really the left and right of one ideology.After the economic crash,the gap on the left,seems glaring and enormous.
All of those arrogant extreme right wing,free market commentators and politicians,should just shut up.That view is disproven beyond doubt,it is history,null and void etc..but our nations don't even have a genuinely ,social democratic alternative.Politics is lagging behind reality at present,and the left (including the greens) need to seize the moment..If I were American,my heart would tell me to back Nader..he is a man of integrety and is not tied to the corporate masters,unlike the two main parties.
Thanks David.

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 7:37 pm
spin a bottle...spent the next six months drunk and the next four years in rehab...smoke something naughty and see the world as a colourful beautiful place for an hour or two?

Comfortably numb doesn't seem such a bad solution, all things considered...This is turning out to be quite the circus....but I'm a bit nervous as to what may happen either way once the show is over....

Wednesday October 15, 2008, 11:25 pm
What a damned shame this won't be televised.
I'm sure it will be available at Democracy
Now!'s website, and will be available elsewhere.
It's also a damned shame that third party's aren't
really even recognised in the United States.
btw, Debbie? Comfortably numb sounds VERY good
to me!
Thanks, David!
noted.

Thursday October 16, 2008, 3:54 am
The group is pretty much resigned to the fact that neither Senator John McCain nor Senator Barack Obama will be there. If you haven’t gotten your fill of presidential debates after watching the McCain-Obama match-up this evening, mark your calendar for Sunday night.

Thursday October 16, 2008, 4:13 am
This debate I might actually watch.

Thursday October 16, 2008, 6:20 am

This debate I will be watching for sure!!!

I believe We the People can empower ourselves by being the CHANGE in November. YES WE CAN!

As Ron Paul has said, since Congress approved and is now implementing the bailouts, it will prolong the recession/depression (and what will happen to our civil liberties??? remains to be seen).

Get use to the idea of a much lower standard of living for a few years (or possibly more).


ROCK the VOTE in NOVEMBER!

I'm going to VOTE AGAINST all who voted for the bailouts.
And, I'll be voting for everyone who is running against those who voted for the bailouts - whether they are Democrat or Repubican.

www.vote-smart.org

Thursday October 16, 2008, 6:36 am
Noted:

"...when Free and Equal.Org, a group formed to encourage third-party candidacies, is promoting a debate at the Columbia Political Union at Columbia University in New York for all six candidates seeking the presidency. The group is pretty much resigned to the fact that neither Senator John McCain nor Senator Barack Obama will be there..."


>> Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama: AMERICA and the WORLD is HOPING TO SEE YOU THERE!


If you aren't there it will cause me to ponder: Are you too arrogant to participate?

You wouldn't "lower yourself" to participate in a debate with "those inferior to you" (in your opinion of them)?

Since you have SO MUCH MONEY to spend on advertising, you don't
see the cash-strapped third parties as true competition???

Are you AFRAID? Are you lacking in COURAGE? Are you afraid the third party candidates will show that you ARE NOT as hot as you think you are?

Come on guys, just say to yourself:

"I can show the American citizens and the world that I'm up to displaying my superiority when I participate in this debate".



> Don't think I'll hold my breath when it comes to this one... I don't expect EITHER ONE of them to be there!

Thursday October 16, 2008, 8:52 am

It certainly doesn't make for an even playing field for the third-party candidates when obama and McCain have such big-buck backers!

OBAMA CONTRIBUTORS:

Goldman Sachs $748,880
Univ California $625,911
JPMorgan Chase & Co $493,469
Harvard University $473,669
Citigroup Inc $467,849
opensecrets(dot)(org)


McCAIN CONTRIBUTORS:

Merrill Lynch $306,813
Citigroup Inc $277,251
Goldman Sachs $234,345
Morgan

Sunday October 19, 2008, 6:13 am
If you would like to see how Third party candidates answer the final debate questions, go to this link: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/16/breaking_the_sound_barrier_third_party