Mike Gravel Too Poor For MSNBC
Are we having a flashback?
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel – one of the only candidates to support gay marriage – has not been invited to MSNBC’s forthcoming presidential debate. Why? His bank account’s not big enough.
In a move reminiscent of HRC’s failed attempt to restrain Gravel, MSNBC says Gravel’s simply not worth their time.
Read NBC director of campaigns Chuck Todd’s explanation, after the jump…
Via MSNBC:
Thanks for your emails about the recent decision not to include former Sen. Mike Gravel at the next MSNBC debate. As you may already know, no network has given Gravel more of an opportunity to get his message across than NBC and its affiliates. But with the election season beginning in just 73 days, and more candidates (135 alone on the Dem side) trying to get into our debates, we believed it was necessary to have some minimum standards.Leaders and activists from both parties believe our requirements are very fair. Unfortunately, Gravel did not meet those requirements. The standards we used included measuring the amount of time the senator spent campaigning, as well as poll standing and financial resources.
Sure, Gravel’s not going to win this thing, but he always keeps things so interesting!
Let me see – General Electric – international corporate giant – maker of light bulbs and weapons of mass destruction and Ronnie Raygun’s first electric home in the fifties – owns the National Broadcasting Company.
Former Senator Gravel of Alaska has several problems. He is anti-General Electric profits and is therefore personna non grata if nothing else. Of course, the man is a liberal Democrat and that reality ended in AK with the Raygun wins in 1980. The neocons who won, however, and unseated Gravel are crooks finally under investigation.
Well, that’s just the American way. Money always talks, and the folks with the most money always talk the loudest and usually get to be heard. Gravel has no chance of winning the nomination and really never had. Even if nominated, he couldn’t beat anything the Republicans could nominate, but it would be interesting to see him run against Ron Paul. Even though he has little in the way of cash, he should be able to bring something to the debate. But, I suppose there has to be a cut off point, otherwise I might even show up and want a place at a podium.
Gravel is an authentic candidate.
The so-called standards for inclusion in the NBC debate were posted late and without adequate notice.
Gravel provides a point of view that, because Kucinich and Dodd are similarly censored, is seldom voiced and which resonates with audiences of voters.
This may be GE doing a number on a candidate hostile to its interests; maybe not. In any case it is an organization that presents itself as a provider of information suppressing a candidate who tends to voice embarrassing truths about his opponents.