Breaking News: Kucinich sues NBC over Nevada debate

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has just sued NBC-TV in Las Vegas over his exclusion from the MSNBC debate among top Demcoratic candidates in Nevada tomorrow.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Kucinich filed his lawsuit moments ago seeking a temporary restraining order allowing him to participate in the nationally-televised debate among Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

As reported here over the weekend, Kucinich was originally informed that he was invited. But that invitation was later rescinded, prompting an outraged press release about giant corporate powers controlling voters' access to all candidates.

Kucinich's lawsuit claims, “Kucinich is a credible and serious candidate in Nevada, where he is actively and vigorously campaigning and has statewide headquarters in Las Vegas.” The suit could threaten tomorrow evening's debate.

It comes just days before the hotly-contested Nevada caucuses that has drawn all the Democratic candidates, seeking votes and endorsements. A District Court hearing was scheduled for this afternoon.

Kucinich's exclusion from Tuesday's debate is the ....

latest of several. The perennial president candidate from Cleveland was also barred from participating in the ABC-TV-Facebook debate in New Hampshire and the Des Moines Register debate in Iowa.

Also Fox News excluded Republican Rep. Ron Paul from its GOP debate just before last week's New Hampshire primary, even though it did include Rudy Giuliani, whom Paul had beaten in Iowa, and Fred Thompson, who wasn't campaigning in New Hampshire and was trailing Paul in polls there. Paul was also in Nevada today campaigning.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Dave]

Good...I hope he owns that company by the time it's all said and done. Perhaps then, someone (important!) will realize that corporations are ruling our nation, and not the people. This is common knowledge, of course, to us pee-ons. How long are we going to tolerate it?

[MoodyMemos]

Thank you Kucinich. Seems to be one of the few people trying to defend democracy in this country. You certainly won't hear much from the supposedly "free" and "competing" big news corporations.

[Tess]

I am not a Kucinich supporter but I think the media should not censor any of the candidates and leave them out of debates or forums, neither should the Democratic Party. The media is doing the same thing to Kucinich that they have done to others, because they do not want the American public to know the truth, but we the people know. The Democratic party has already chosen Hillary, it was more than obvious when she came out the winner in New Hampshire, and we all know Obama won. Kucinich is a man of courage, integrity, and principles, and I believe that the Obama supporters should be helping Kucinich by donating and helping him to have the recount done. This support would benefit Obama and the truth will come out. By the way I am a Republican, and guess who has my vote?

[AlisonandBear]

To all who care-- let's try to do something, too! We can't just leave Kucinich out there all alone. Show your support-- if not for Kucinich-- then for freedom, change and taking power back into the hands of the people. Call NBC/MSNBC at 212 664-4444 and ask for the Comment Line or email them at letters@msnbc.com to let them know that we as the voting public will not stand for them limiting our choice... and tell them to open the doors towards real democracy, not tv-land "America's Next Top President."

I look forward to tuning in and hearing from ALL the candidates tomorrow.

[Kyle in San Francisco]

Imagine if Paul and Kucinich won their respective nominations. We could finally have a real debate in this country about the role of the US government in our lives and in the world.

Top of the Ticket, you are at the top of my browser favorites. Thanks for questioning the established order of our so-called democracy.

(And thanks for your frequent visits, Kyle. Spread the word to your friends please.)

[eld]

I am not a Kucinich supporter, but I believe NBC was wrong to exclude him from the debate. He deserves the opportunity to present his views to voters not just in Nevada but all over the country who will be watching the debate. The media should not act as gatekeepers excluding candidates who have met all the legal requirements to qualify for the ballot in many state primaries and caucuses. There is a much stronger case for including Dennis Kucinich in the Nevada Democratic debate than there was for including Alan Keyes in the Iowa Republican debate. Kucinich is actively campaigning in Nevada, has offices in the state, etc. Hopefully NBC will come to its senses and include Kucinich without having to be ordered to do so by the court.

[pmorlan]

I'm sick of the media's arrogance in this election. They've been trying to manipulate this race so that only two choices are available to voters. Enough is enough. Stop trying to push Edwards out of the race by not covering his campaign or making snide remarks that he needs to get out.. Stop trying to push Kucinich out the race and the debates. The candidates will decide if they will campaign and the voters will decide who they will vote for in this election. The media needs to do their job of covering the campaigns and asking the tough questions. They need to stop trying to take over the role of the candidate and the voters.

[MasterMind.Inc]

Who cares? The world is coming to an end in 2012 anyways............

[C Saders]

Good for him, how can they even call this a debate - sounds more like a commercial promoting the NBC picks. After all, they want the candidate that will best server their corporate interests, not the interests of the people!

[huh]

You can't take Kucinich serious when the same corporations fund his campaign and the party he is in is the back up party for the corporations.

[Rich]

This guy is such a loser! He's got ZERO chance to get even 10 delegates. The guy needs to check in and never come out! What an absolute loser.

[Jay]

It doesn't surprise me that the Fascist News Network is censoring Rep. Ron Paul. Furthermore, their interviewing tactics only show how shallow they want journalism to become so that Representative Democracy is further demolished in favor of corporate-run government. Or, in other words, Representatives are only the puppets of corporations and wealthy citizens, not the public as a whole, because the public are kept misinformed so that the consent of the governed no longer exists. That's Fascism, folks.

[jwaawaa]

Isn't it funny how they will take the money of the candidate for ads -- literally spending millions. But then they snub them at the debates. Who makes these choices? --- I hope he takes them to the cleaners. If the writers can stop the golden globes maybe Paul and Kucinich can bring down (or at least hurt their wallets) these few "decision makers" that try decide who our president by exclusion.

Very Shameful on the Networks.... Turning off the tv - going to get info from the web.

[Don Baird]

Mr. Kucinich is as a candidate is entitled to be heard! OK he may not make the cut and be the Democrats final choice but he needs to be heard. at this time in the prolonged process of a presidential election we should be given everyones ideas about how to fix the mess in Washington.

[Jay]

Thank you, courts. I was worried that the stage would look empty without any decoration, but Kucinich's presence will insure that the stage has decoration.

PS: I'm sick of candidate fanboys whining about everything that doesn't go their way. You're worse than Al Sharpton.

[Gary A]

I am a Ron Paul suporter but the MSM is doing to Dennis what they have done to Paul so I am glade a judge will tell the MSM to be fair. MSNBC and Fox are both trying to tell us who to vote for.

[Lynn]

The reporters sit on their cynical thrones in judgment of the candidates. But who elected them? Any of the 4 remaining Democratic candidates are people of serious purpose and much more committed to solving America's problems than any of the reporters I see shouting about polls, tears and personalities on TV.
The job of the press is to report on the issues, not to package an election as entertainment. They already have ignored several talented, credible candidates to death. I am so glad to hear that a judge returned our right to hear Congressman Kucinich.
Now let's see whether the moderator actually asks the Congressman an intelligent question.

[Leanne]

Agreed. Not a Dennis supporter, heck, wrong side of the aisle for that matter. Just be prepared, once his supporters start fighting for his right to be heard in the democratic process, the supporters themselves will be attacked in the media. Take note of the news stories circulating about the cult of Paultards harrassing the media . Of course, there's also the clerk in NH that didn't record any of Ron Paul's votes, and then that poor poor woman got harrassed with phone calls from those horrible horrible Ron Paul people. Get my drift? Funny how fighting for democracy will get you demonized. Stalinist Russia would be so proud.

[Chris]

I had a little chuckle at some of these comments.

Your idea of promoting freedom is to force a corporation to do something against their will? Do you not see the irony there?

You have the freedom to boycott NBC, NBC has the freedom to run their network as they want. Everyone has freedom.

Wanting to curtail one freedom because you don't agree with it just makes you Orwellian in your goals.

Also, why are all corporations evil? A corporation is a legal entity for more or less any business with more than one owner. Most small business people incorporate their businesses, most people in this country work for corporations. Corporations become successful and large because they are good at what they do. Starbucks, for instance, would never have become the corporation they are today if they served crappy coffee.

[Vincent G]

The main problem is the polls!

Since polls can be slanted they should not be allowed as a guide.
The whole question of polls as a tool to measure outcome is dismissed if the poll itself can be slanted.
I really don't care how it's defended - it should not be allowed.

The real question is do polls effect outcome?
They will argue that the poll reflects what the outcome will be.
But since the polls are used to censor candidates and worse I fear they are used as guides as to what questions are asked at these grand events they can indeed slant the outcome.
Past elections have blamed polls for their demise.
Polls should not be allowed at all since they can be designed to show results that is pre-determined.
Reporters should be limited to reporting the news and nothing more.
When you give the news agencies the ability to shape events then the outcome is not true democracy
So should the news agencies exclude any candidate?
Not if this is based on polling information!

I say let the election results be a surprise to all and stop polling altogether.

[Maggie Hittinger]

The corporitasion of our press, the corporitazion of our healthcare system?
Way to go Michigan vote for Dennis. Then lets see what they do with that?

[rcca]

It is nice that they have to let Rep. Dennis Kucinich take part, but they don’t have to let him answer many, if any, questions.
How many debates have taken place, and the top 2 or three get all the attention? The debates have been a farce. Let PBS air the debates, and have the League of Women voters make the rules. The moderator of the debate could be Bill Moyers or Jim Lehrer. Questions could be asked by various news media. The Moderator would be allowed follow-up questions. Another suggestion I have is a round table discussion with all the candidated hosted by Phil Donahue.
It is time to start challenging the ownership of the television stations owned and operated by Disney (ABC), General Electric (NBC), and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (Fox). If they continue to try control our access to the news, they are not operating in the best interests of the Citizens of this United States. The Citizens of the United States own the airwaves.
Get the F.C.C. off their rear seats. It is time to bring back the equal time rules.
There are pirate radio stations all over this country, which are illegal. How about a few pirate news television stations? Check out Go Left TV.
It is time to bring back “the most trusted man in America”, our uncle Walter Cronkite.

[Maggie Hittinger]

I think Dennis Kusinich is a viable candidate. I am so sick of a media controlled by corporate America allowing us to see only the candidates they wish us to see.censorship allowing us to see only the thing Corporate America wants us to see.

Way to go Michigan maybe now Dennis will get his chance?

[Maggie Hittinger]

The Invisible Man And Our Chance For Dramatic Change

When Dennis Kucinich announced his candidacy for the presidency, his original plan was to get $50 from each of a million citizens, about a third of one percent of the U.S. population. 50 bucks – that’s two tanks of gas or 10 six-packs of beer. With that, he figured, he'd be able to mount a decent campaign without having to go, hat and soul in hand, to the money sources that have the American political system in their grasp. He was not successful.

Skip to January, '08. Kucinich has been denied the right to debate in Iowa and on ABC (Disney, Inc.) and has had his image excised from a photograph of democratic candidates, said photo sent all over the world. After an early debate, when a national poll revealed that viewers considered him the winner, mainstream media declared him "unelectable" and began to ignore him completely. Nevertheless, he has won polls by ABC, MSNBC, CSPAN, Democracy For America, the John Edwards Campaign (!) and every online poll I'm aware of that would attract progressive democrats and independents. On January 7, Jay Leno asked Ron Paul who on the democratic side he liked best. When Paul mentioned "Dennis" the crowd erupted in applause.

The New York Times produced a two-page synopsis, “Where the Democrats and Republicans Stand”. It included photographs of the presidential “hopefuls” and their positions on Iraq, health, taxes, energy, immigration, climate ….. everything. The presentation included candidates down to Richardson, Biden and Dodd, all three of whom have, by now, dropped out. Everybody was shown except Kucinich. As far as “America’s Paper of Record” was concerned, he did not exist.

Going into the New Hampshire primary, Clinton and Obama enjoyed 200 million corporate/fat cat dollars -- "the mother's milk of American politics" -- between them. Hillary "We are the President" Clinton touted her experience which, if one recalls the administration of her partner, must include NAFTA, welfare "reform" and the 1996 Telecommunications Act that further solidified corporate control of the public's airways. Obama, whose "star quality" cannot be denied, gave the crowds stirring speeches and lots and lots of "Hope".

It is understandable that "The System" would consider Kucinich a threat and seek to make him invisible. Simply look at his platform: Out of NAFTA on day one; out of the World Trade Organization; universal not-for-profit health care; creation of a Department of Peace (Imagine that! ); repeal the Patriot Act; end the phony "Drug War"; end the war in Iraq now, not in 2013 or 2020 but now; speak as an equal among equals with all world leaders, whether or not they are in synch with "American Interests Around the World". Everything a progressive American would dream of. Just imagine the shudders his expressed plan would send through the defense industry (e.g. GE/NBC), the pharmaceutical industry, the insurance industry, the "corporate sector" generally.

One cannot consider Dennis without his wife Elizabeth, an articulate expert on monetary policy who would certainly be as valuable a partner in a Kucinich administration as Hillary was in Bill's. But our media, hell-bent on reinforcing its tabloid qualities, locked on her looks. In one painful/hilarious interview of the couple, the "journalist", after speaking with Dennis, turned to Elizabeth, immediately referred to her age and looks, and wanted to know about her pierced tongue. Dennis, unruffled, said "I hope as a professional you won't trivialize her", and he then ticked off Elizabeth's considerable accomplishments. His allusion to "a professional" was a tangential rebuke of the interviewer's stunningly unprofessional display. Nevertheless, obtuse and undeterred, the woman was unrelenting in her tastelessness and wanted to know if Elizabeth would show her tongue. Elizabeth would not.

On January 3, the New York Observer declared "Dennis Kucinich Owns New Hampshire". Oh how I hoped for an upset. In a way he may have owned that small state, for having vacated Iowa he went early to New Hampshire and criss-crossed it to enthusiastic crowds. But people do vote "strategically" in primaries, and the acute lack of "big money" necessary for "front runner" status may have been too much. That and the media drumbeat of "But he's not electable" and the pathetically superficial need of too many American voters for slick or "alpha" or “tall-in-the-saddle” father-figure politicians.

But of course he is electable if people vote for him. He certainly has the most progressive platform. "Change", we're told, is what people desperately want. Obama may give us a little change, but he won't give us the real change we need because he won't be able to. He’s in hock to Big Money, and he's mum on the issue of his tight relationship with “Bush’s favorite democrat, Joe Lieberman. Hillary won't give us the real change we need because she has already demonstrated with her Senate votes that she will not. Dennis is giving us our chance for dramatic change, and, to date, either we are failing to see that chance or we are rejecting it outright.
I never wrote this but I wiish I did It speakes for me and I hope for you.

[Rory]

Remember when anyone could grow up to be President of the United States?