The Commission On Presidential Debates is the private corporation with a government granted monopoly responsible for staging the candidate debates every four years. They are the gatekeepers; if the Commission says “no,” a candidate is deprived of the publicity and exposure that only participation in the debates can provide.
Bob Barr is polling better than any previous Libertarian Presidential candidate. In the most recent Zogby poll, Barr is at 11% in New Hampshire and 10% in Nevada, and his percentage is larger than the difference between Obama and McCain in Colorado, Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. Another Zogby poll shows 55% of all Americans — and a majority of both Republicans and Democrats — want Bob Barr included in this fall’s debates. But unless we act, the Commission will exclude Bob Barr from the Presidential debates.
The Commission has a formula to determine participation, which they created on their own: a candidate must have “a level of support of at least 15% (fifteen percent) of the national electorate as determined by five selected national public opinion polling organizations, using the average of those organizations’ most recent publicly-reported results at the time of the determination.”
Sounds objective? The Libertarian Party of Georgia thinks not. Why 15%? Why not 30%? Why not 5%? Why any percentage at all? The formula used by the Commission On Presidential Debates is arbitrary and serves only to deprive voters of information and choice.
We must tell the Commission On Presidential Debates to include Bob Barr in the debates this fall. They created the 15% rule and they have the power to suspend it. Call the Commission at (202) 872-1020 and let them know you want to see Bob Barr in the Presidential debates! Fax them at (202) 783-5923. Tell them soon, and tell them often. Share these phone numbers with every freedom minded person you know.
There is a reason why the Commission picked the arbitrary level of 15% for inclusion in the debates. Here’s the background: Ross Perot was in the debates in 1992 and 1996, and both times his candidacy prevented ultimate winner Bill Clinton from achieving a majority of the popular vote. While anyone with a knowledge of the US Constitution and the Electoral College understands the popular vote total has nothing to do with electing a President, many in government feared repeats of such a result would undermine election legitimacy in the mind of the public. Besides, the Commission — led by equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats with NO third party representation — saw how close Perot came to upending the old political order. Republicans and Democrats on the Commission for Presidential Debates agree on only two things: protecting incumbents, and limiting competition from third party candidates.
The Commission came up with this 15% formula in time for the 2000 election cycle, when Ralph Nader was getting lots of media play. In fact, Nader sued the commission over this rule, but nonetheless was prevented from appearing in the debates with George W. Bush and Al Gore. Libertarian candidate Harry Browne also was barred.
The very existance of the Commission On Presidential Debates is an affront to free elections. Every candidate on the ballot in enough states to compete for a majority of Electoral Votes should be included, and no quasi-government agency should have the power to alter that. In addition to Bob Barr, such a procedure will include former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney from the Green Party, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution Party, and Ralph Nader as an independent running on various party lines in different states. A Presidential debate with a total of six candidates seems perfectly reasonable — especially considering the hordes that took part in the early Republican and Democrat primary debates.
While the Libertarian Party of Georgia has serious policy disagreements with McKinney, Baldwin, and Nader, we nonetheless support their inclusion in the Presidential debates. We believe Bob Barr will blow them all away in a fair debate about relevant issues. All we ask is that the Commission On Presidential Debates relax their arbitrary limits and permit all the candidates to explain their positions to the American voter. Call them at (202) 872-1020 and tell them so!
