Breaking News: Judge says MSNBC must include Kucinich

A judge in Nevada has just ordered MSNBC to include Rep. Dennis Kucinich in Tuesday's Democratic Party presidential debate in Las Vegas or he will cancel the forum.

Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson vowed to issue an injunction halting the nationally televised debate if MSNBC failed to comply. Kucinich had filed a lawsuit seeking to be included just this morning.

(UPDATE: Late Monday, according to the Associated Press, NBC indicated that if Judge Thompson officially signed his order Tuesday morning, it would appeal that decision to the Nevada Supreme Court, seeking to keep Kucinich out of the evening's debate.)

The judge ruled Monday it was a matter of fairness and Nevada voters would benefit from hearing from more than just Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. Kucinich had been invited to participate in the 6 p.m. Pacific debate Tuesday, but that invitation was rescinded last week following the ....

results of the New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucuses that showed Kucinich trailing badly.

Kucinich received the news in an Associated Press story handed to him during a telephone interview with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business channel. Kucinich read the news item out loud: "It says ‘A Nevada judge said Monday that Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich must be included in Tuesday’s candidates’ debate in Nevada’.  Holy smokes!  I just found out.  I have to get off the phone now.  I have to make plans to go to Nevada.”

So set up a fourth podium.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[gregory]

The Nevada Supreme Court just issued a writ of prohibition and mandamus granting MSNBC's appeal and blocking the lower court's decision, finding that the judge manifestly abused his discretion. Therefore Kucinich is OUT of tonight’s debate.

(As covered in a new Breaking News item atop this blog.)

[Bryan Replogle]

The reason Dennis Kucinich was excluded from this debate has nothing to do with “most people wanting to watch Clinton, Obama and Edwards”. In fact, Kucinich has come in first in several online polls - The Independent Primary, Democracy for America pulse poll, CSPAN poll of the day, Virginia Dems Poll, and even MSNBC live vote. After the Aug. 22 ABC debate, he won the post debate poll which asked, Who Do You Think Won the Democratic Debate?
Kucinich has been excluded from this debate because NBC/MSNBC is owned by General Electric. GE is the largest nuclear power plant producer in this country (Kucinich opposed dumping nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain and has vowed to support clean energy). GE has several defense contracts and profits from the war in Iraq (Kucinich has consistently and loudly renounced the war). GE has contributed to the campaigns of other candidates on the stage (Kucinich doesn’t take corporate bribes).
A U.S. Senator and Candidate for President, was blocked from participating in a presidential election debate, by a "private company".  Why should a company have the right to allow or not allow a candidate for President to speak on television??  This company invokes the First Amendment, but that amendment is what they are acting against by silencing the voice of one of our representatives.  Someone who is speaking to us, and for our benefit.  The function of the media should be to inform the public, and empower us to be able to take part in democracy and make the decisions that affect our lives.  You should not have to censor what you say so as not to offend the private interests of companies like General Electric to participate in a candidates debate for President.  You should only have to be a Candidate!  To allow this to set the precedent is to seriously undermine the election process, and DEMOCRACY. Enough of the limp cynicism people, lets DO SOMETHING about this.