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Gravel Fights Back
Against Corporate Censorship
Fresh on the heels of MSNBC's exclusion of Senator Mike Gravel from last week's Philadelphia debate, we now hear that CNN has cut the Senator from its November 15 debate in Las Vegas. Like MSNBC, CNN's justification comes down to one ugly factor: MONEY.
CNN says Mike must meet three criteria:
* Form a federal exploratory committee and officially declare his candidacy. (He did.)
* Poll at 1% or above. (He does.)
* Raise at least $1 million in individual contributions since January 1, 2007. (He has not.)
Once again, MONEY decides who gets to participate in America's political debates.
But is this the only reason why Mike is being excluded? And why isn't the Democratic National Committee standing up for him and our party's tradition of fighting for the underdog? These debates are sanctioned by the Democratic Party, and this is a terrible reflection on the national party.
The fact is, Mike angered powerful people when he confronted Senator Clinton over Iran during last month's debate. Up to that moment the Clinton juggernaut was rolling over everyone. Now Mike is paying the price for speaking truth to power.
Fighting Back
Members of the Gravel Team are already in Las Vegas setting up another Alternative Debate like the one in Philadelphia. Our webcast from Philly attracted thousands of viewers and generated news coverage in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and countless blogs. Ustream.tv, which streamed the event live across the Internet, has promised to feature our Vegas Alternative Debate, which is sure to attract even more viewers and media buzz.
Our Clark County Director Becky Isais has reached out to Nevada Democrats, who have told us in no uncertain terms that they will treat Mike the same as all of the other candidates. In addition, Mike will be participating in the state party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner, which follows the evening's debate. This dinner is widely recognized as Nevada's largest political event of the year.
It's clear that Democrats in Nevada want to hear from Mike. Now he needs your help.
If 80 people just give . . .
$250 -- We can secure a spectacular Alternative Debate venue.
$100 -- We can stage and promote the entire event.
$50 -- We can plaster Las Vegas with 5,000 posters supporting Mike's fight against corporate censorship.
So here's your chance to help Mike with a donation and show corporate media that they can't control our democracy. If we all join Mike's Fight, we can make a difference.
For more information, call the national office at (703) 652-4698 or email lasvegasdebate@gravel2008.us.
Learn More http://www.gravel2008.us
Official Mike Gravel 2008 Campaign | P.O. Box 948 | Arlington, VA 22216-0948