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Green Politics: Green Party Excluded From Mid-Term Debates
Green Politics: Anti-War House Candidate Michael Berg on
His Debate Lock-Out in Delaware and How His Son’s Death
in Iraq Led to His Candidacy
Green Politics: Pennsylvania Greens Take GOP Donations in
Ballot Drive
Green Politics: Anti-War Washington Senatorial Candidate
Says Dems Tried to Bribe Him Not to Run
Green Politics: Green Party Excluded From Mid-Term
Debates
We spend the hour on Green politics and how third party
candidates are being blocked from taking part in debates.
We begin in New York, where the League of Women Voters has
withdrawn its sponsorship of three debates in New York because
Green Party candidates were excluded from participation. We’re
joined by Green Party Senate Candidate Howie Hawkins and League
of Women Voters analyst Betsey Swan. [includes rush
transcript]
Today we continue with our coverage of the mid-term elections.
The League of Women Voters has withdrawn its sponsorship of
three debates in New York because Green Party candidates were
excluded from participation. Two of those debates were between
candidates running for Attorney General. The Democratic candidate
is Andrew Cuomo and the Republican is Jeanine Pirro. Rachel
Treichler is the Green Party candidate. Sources from the two
stations sponsoring the debates told Metroland, an alternative
weekly in Albany, that it was Cuomo’s camp which refused
to participate in the debates if Treichler were to be included.
The League also withdrew its sponsorship of a debate between
Democratic Senator Hilary Clinton and Republican Challenger
John Spencer after Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins was
excluded from taking part. In a press release announcing their
decision, the League stated that they had determined that
the Republican, Democrat and Green candidates were all bona
fide contestants and should have all been included in the
debates.
Today we spend the hour on Green politics and how third party
candidates are being blocked from taking part in debates.
- Howie Hawkins. Green candidate for US Senate in New York.
- Betsey Swan. Legislative Analyst for League of Women Voters,
New York State.
Green Politics: Anti-War House Candidate Michael
Berg on His Debate Lock-Out in Delaware and How His Son’s
Death in Iraq Led to His Candidacy
We turn to Delaware and the race for the state’s one
House seat. Green Party nominee Michael Berg is the father
of Nicholas Berg, the 26-year-old American who was captured
and beheaded in Iraq in May 2004. Michael Berg joins us to
talk about his exclusion from the debates, and how his son's
murder influenced his decision to run for office. [includes
rush
transcript]
We turn to Delaware and the race for the state’s one
House seat. Three challengers are vying to upset seven-term
incumbent Republican Congressman, Mike Castle. Democratic
candidate Dennis Spivack is up against Karen Hartley-Nagle,
who is running as an Independent and Michael Berg, who is
on the Green Party ticket. Michael Berg is the father of Nicholas
Berg, the 26-year-old American who was captured and beheaded
in Iraq in May 2004.
Last week a forum for the candidates was held at Brandywine
High School in Wilmington Delaware. The forum was sponsored
by the Council of Civic Organizations of Brandywine Hundred.
Third party candidates were not invited. Well Michael Berg
decided to attend the forum anyway. He climbed onto stage
and took a seat. Forum moderator Harvey Rubenstein asked him
to leave.
- Footage of Delaware candidates’ forum.
Michael Berg was then escorted from the forum by a police
officer. According to the Delaware News Journal, Rubenstien
told the audience afterwards that the third party and independent
candidates were not invited because “voters have traditionally
stuck with the Republican and Democratic parties.” He
also said that including all candidates would have meant stretching
the forum out for three or four hours. Michael Berg joins
me now from a studio in Delaware.
- Michael Berg. Green Party candidate for Congress in Delaware.
He is the father of Nicholas Berg who was captured and beheaded
in Iraq in May 2004.
Green Politics: Pennsylvania Greens Take GOP Donations
in Ballot Drive
Newly released campaign finance documents have revealed
the Pennsylvania’s Green Party has been receiving money
from a most unlikely source – prominent Republicans.
We speak with the reporter who helped break the story. [includes
rush
transcript]
We turn now to Pennsylvania where newly released campaign
finance documents have revealed the state’s Green Party
has been receiving money from a most unlikely source - the
founder and owner of the mercenary company Blackwater USA.
Federal Election Commission filings show that Erik Prince
and his wife donated ten thousand dollars to a chapter of
the Green Party in Pennsylvania.
Other prominent Republicans who donated to the Green Party
chapter included a Halliburton lobbyist, a former aide of
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and California’s leading
anti-choice activist. The Republicans were trying to help
get the Green Party’s Senate candidate Carl Romanelli
on the ballot in an attempt to take away votes from Democrat
Bob Casey in his race against Republican Senator Rick Santorum.
Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News helped break this
story on his blog attytood.com. He joins us on the line from
Philadelphia.
- Will Bunch. Senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News
and author of the blog www.attytood.com.
Green Politics: Anti-War Washington Senatorial Candidate
Says Dems Tried to Bribe Him Not to Run
The Green Party nominee for Senate in Washington is Aaron
Dixon. Last week, Dixon was arrested at a local television
station for entering the lobby and demanding that he be included
in a televised debates between his Democratic and Republican
opponents. Dixon talks about his arrest, and says Democratic
representatives tried to bribe him to drop out of the race.
[includes rush
transcript]
The Green Party nominee for Senate in Washington is Aaron
Dixon. Last week, Dixon was arrested at a local television
station for entering the lobby and demanding that he be included
in that station’s televised debates between Democratic
Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican Mike McGavick. Aaron
Dixon joins us now from a studio in Seattle.
- Aaron Dixon. Green party candidate for Senate in Washington
State.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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