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Media Views

McClatchy: Majority: Let Bob Barr Into Debates (8/16/08)

A tiny blog posting notes that new Zogby polling finds 55 percent of "likely voters" thinking Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr should be allowed to participate in presidential debates—46 percent feel the same about independent Ralph Nader:

The sentiment is nice. But it's not enough. The bi-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates uses a different poll question to determine who gets in. It says only those candidates with the support of 15 percent of likely voters get onto the debate stage.

A more reasonable—and more democratic—solution has existed for years, as proposed by OpenDebates.org: "The only viable and lasting solution is to replace the CPD with a truly nonpartisan sponsor committed to maximizing voter education. 'It is not a bi- or tripartisan commission that is needed, but a neutral commission.'"

Listen to FAIR's radio show CounterSpin: George Farah on Open Debates (7/23/04)

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