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Show A s Monday, September DAILY HERALD IX 2004 A5 EDITORIAL EBIQIAIS RUBEN NAVARRETTE JR. The Nader debate Red journalism lost SHOULD THE PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL BE INCLUDED IN THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES? in paiiisanship YES NO Debate commission hurts democracy by stiffing Nader and other independents Nader doesn't have enough popular support to be in the debates Jacqueline Salit Wayne Madsen American electorate been changing in ways as more more voters look the confines of, two-partpolitics. The inclusion of independent candidate Ralph Nader in the televised presidential debates should be judged in this context. The trend toward political independence is not altogether new, but it is reaching a critical mass. According to a report by the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, the total number of Americans registering as independents has increased 800 percent in the last three decades. Polls show youth leading the trend with 41 percent of young . adults ages 9 identifying as independents. Among blacks a solid 25 percent consider themselves independent. Among 18- - to in the black community, the number climbs to 35 percent. A re-cent poll conducted by the American Association of Retired Persons and Roper ASW showed that 56 percent of US. "baby boomers would like to see a strong third party in the political mix. Despite the fact that the two parties frame virtually every aspect of our elections, more people of voting age consider themselves political independents (35 percent) than either Republicans (32 percent) or Democrats (31 percent), according Jay is not in the 2004 debates and there reason for it. independent candidate Ralph Nader, Jay, the presidential nominee of the Personal Choice Party and his running mate, porn star Marilyn Chambers Taylor, have not achieved the average 15 percent threshold computed from five preselected national polls to qualify for participation in the debates. Nor have Nader and Jay gained access to the minimum number of ' state ballots to ensure either would have a mathematical chance of acquiring a majority of the electoral votes in the election. By the time the planning was being completed for the presidential debates, Nader was not yet officially on the ballot in such states as California, New York, Illinois, Texas, The As when, searching for a way to more than 7,000 tout his education reform efforts, journalists came last week for the Bush noted: "You cant read a UNITY: Journalists of Color connewspaper if you cant read." But it wasn't until the question- vention, one felt a sense of pride. But after a sudden outburst of session that the wheels really came off the cart. partisan politics, pride gave way to embarrassment. Questioned about whether MusPresident Bush and Democratic lims were being unfairly singled nominee John Kerry both adout for scrutiny after Sept. 11, dressed the 2001, and what he intended to do separately Washington conference staged by about it, the president tritely nota consortium of four minority ed that he "went to a mosque" to make the case that America's enejournalists associations. Kerry spoke first and was remy was not Islam. That prompted ceived enthusiastically. Both begiggles. fore and after his remarks, most Asked what tribal sovereignty of the audience gave him a standfor Native Americans means in ing ovation. The speech itself was the 21st century, Bush started out: "Tribal sovereignty means that interrupted by applause several dozen times. And the audience it's sovereign. You've been given didn't seem to mind that Kerry sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. dodged tough questions such as when a rep- And, therefore, the re resentanve of the Asian lationship between the At times, I felt federal government American Journalists and tribes is one beAssociation asked him" I was if Democrats don't take tween sovereign entithe support of minorities." attending a ties for granted. The giggles became political rally laughter. It was a Answer: Of course of they do. And you're rather than a shameful example bad manners, not to about to see why. mention horrible jourAt times, I felt I was meeting of nalism as various atattending a political ralprofessionals tendees pointed out ly rather than a meet- long after Bush left the ing of professionals in a in a news-gatherig busipodium. "It was embarrassness that stresses the need for impartiality ing," one editor told me business that of the h reacand objectivity. People tion. "It's a shame how snapped pictures. And stresses the after Kerry's remarks, partisan these things need for have become. It may some audience members approached the just be that a lot of impartiality senator for autographs. these people don't have a firm grounding in Remember, these are and journalism." journalists we're talkA television reporter objectivity. ing about. With the exI spoke with later of- ception of opinion writ ' fered this: "We have a ers, journalists are sup- be to objective, posed right to our opinions. But I would hope people wouldn't impartial and fair. Their job is to be referees, not cheerleaders for be so disrespectful." and It was disrespectful one team or another. It was also dumb. Things At least that's the way it is suplike this help set back the larger posed to work. I constantly read cause of bringing racial and ethstories by reporters assigned to nic diversity to journalism. Those the national desks of the nation's h who want to keep things the way top newspapers, and the bias is palpable. they are those who don't bat an A recent survey by the Pew Re- eye at statistics showing that peosearch Center confirms that a ple of color make up just 10 percent of the Washington press higher percentage of media professionals describe themselves as corps and just 12.5 percent of the liberal than does the general popreporters, editors and supervisors will ulation. in America's newspapers now cite this episode as a justifiThat finding was probably not lost on President Bush, who spoke cation for not hiring and promotthe next day. Some of the journaling more minorities. After all, ists stood when Bush entered the they'll say, not enough of these room, but nowhere near as many people are professionals. And too as had stood for Kerry. many are minorities first, journalThroughout Bush's prepared re- ists second. All week at the conference, I marks which touched on both heard minority journalists comdomestic and national security issues there was only a smatterplain that they're tired of writing about Black History Month and ing of applause from around the hall. Qnco de Mayo that they want to cover the serious stories. The president's jokes "fell flat. Fair enough. But first, they The folksy Texas banter wore thin. And most of what Bush said have to get serious about their the audience seemed to dismiss profession and all that it demands of them. without a hearing. Bush didn't help matters by apI Ruben Navarrette's pearing to be on the defensive. address is His presentation was clumsy, and he was obviously mavarrettedallasnews.com When . and-answ- er Gharles y 2 18-2- n. . Florida, Ohio, Louisiana, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Kentucky, Oregon, Utah, Tennessee, Arizona, Kansas, Hawaii, and Rhode Island. With his national polling num- . to a CNN pol Clearly, there is a strong attraction to political independence. Yet the Commission on Presidential Debates assembled and run by the Democratic and Republican parties to manage the televised candidate encounters have precluded independent presidential contenders since 1992. Ralph Nader has been a hugely significant figure in American political life for a generation. He has new become a political independent, providing a visible presence for the undeniable movement toward a new paradigm that is more varied and more representative of y America than the sys- tern. The hysterical reaction to Nader's candidacy by some is as much reaction to the an movement as it is to the man. and A vibrant, forward-lookinresponsive society must always choose the path of democratic development. The conduct of the 2004 presidential debates is a defining choice in this regard. Rakrti Nader must be included in the presidential debates. ng news-gatherin- anti-Bus- bers far less than the 15 percent minimum and his August ballot access mathematically impossible for him to win a majority of the electoral votes, Nader was ineligible to participate in the debates. However, if the egalitarian candidacy desires of Nader were the rule, Marilyn Chambers Taylor would be debating Nader running mate, Peter Camejo, as well as Sen. John Edwards and Vice President Dick Cheney at the single debate in Cleveland scheduled for Oct. 5. Nader, a somewhat tragic Quixotic figure whose life has been reduced to chasing political windmills, is predictably crying foul over his not being included in the debates. Nader claims that the political duopoly of the Republicans and Democrats that control the Commission on Presidential Debates is candidates. unfair to third-part- y Yet, on this point, Nader seems to have convenient amnesia. In 1992, third-partpresidential candidate H. Ross Perot was very much part of the debates. Sorry, Ralph, but this year you're going to have to sit out the debates with other presidential candidates. But you should have an interesting time commiserating with your fellow fringe candidates who include such players as fellow independent Joseph "Average Joe" Schriner of Ohio and the Light Party's Da Vid of Calif ornia. - anti-Bus- y two-part- 7 g Wayne Madsen is a senior fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (www.epic.org). Jacqueline Salit is executive editor of The (www.neoindependent.com). BOARD Albert J. Manzi, President A Publisher Randy Wright, Executive Editor Donald W. Meyers, Editorial page editor John CastelH, Public adviser Christian Harrison, Public adviser Sam Rushforth, Public adviser under-prepare- MEDIA VOICES The hypocrisy of Republicans: Watch what they do, not what they say Los Angeles Times, Sept. 3, 2004 am running for president with a clear and positive plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America," President Bush said Thursn speech day night. His would have been more convincing if he had not actually been president for the last four years. In 2000, George W. Bush ran for president promising a "humble eign policy and warning against ambitions to remake other countries, let alone the world. 'I . well-writte- , On domestic concerns, Bush '04 does sound a lot like Bush '00. The contrast is with what Bush actually did, or dWt do, in the years between. He also sounded a lot like a Democrat. "I am running with a compassionate conservative philosophy," he said, using a term we heard a lot four years ago and not much since, until this week. "Government should help people improve their lives," Bush said, promising to "transform" health insurance, pension plans and worker training, among other things. Consistency is an undervalued virtue in our political culture: consistency between what you said before and what DOONESBURY U Mil you say now, between what you say and what you do, between what you say and the truth, even what you say from one sentence to the next. The praise and prizes these days go to skilled self reinvention for the needs of the moment, also known as spin. Democrats do it, but Republicans do it better. One night GOP speakers are attack dogs, the next night they're kinder and gentler. Their platform feeds raw meat to the hard right, while their moderates take the stage and fan out to TV interviews, reassuring swing voters that they dont really mean it. Was Franklin D. Roosevelt a Republican? You might 11 tems - the same ones that Dick Cheney, as secretary of Defense, also tried to kill, and so on). But the speech reached its transcendent moment when this Democratic senator stood before thousands of Republicans baying for the defeat of a Vietnam War veteran by a man who chose to defend Texas instead.' Miller praised "the American soldier.' He condemned those who would allow national security to become an issue in "partisan politics. And Madison Square Garden cheered because he was referring to the Democrats! We guess you had to be there. Bruce Tinsley MALLARD FILLMORE Garry Trudeau dl think so, given how often his name was invoked. Well, whatever. The convention's lowest moment may. have been New York Gov. George E. Pataki's suggestion that the Clinton administration is to blame for 911 because it ignored the evidence and ducked the fight against terrorism. We dont recall Pataki or Bush warning of this danger, if it was so obvious. Sea Zell Miller's vile keynote address will be cherished forever by connoisseurs of rhetoric. It was, of course, full of technically true lies (John Kerry, as senator, voted to kill various weapons sys- - A. Mk JK. J.: j. A'A.X t ' :t X ..! t .K. i .Si .X, .. i' V A A. n J A ,t S. V . .J A .L H. |