Yesterday's Hankster ran an article from the Boston Globe about the Thursday night debate that included independent governor candidate Christy Mihos but that excluded Green-Rainbow Party Grace Ross. Anonymous asked "What was the criteria?" A fair question, indeed! Below is the rest of the article. Independent voters should demand inclusion of independents candidates in all the debates as we head toward the Presidential election in 2008.
The debate, sponsored by The Boston Globe, the Kennedy School, The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, was broadcast live on New England Cable News and WBUR-FM.
Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross was not invited.
MassINC president Ian Bowles defended the decision not to invite Ross. He said sponsors came up with three criteria to determine if a candidate should be invited: name recognition, support in the polls and money. Bowles said Ross didn't meet any of the criteria.
"As a result, Grace Ross was not invited to participate in this early season event," he said. He also said the Green-Rainbow Party is not an official political party in Massachusetts as recognized by the Secretary of State.
Ross said the debate sponsors have created a "self fulfilling prophecy" by blocking her from the debate.
"If the press doesn't include people who can't come up with a few million dollars or hundreds of thousands in a war chest from a previous campaign they are undermining their role in a constitutional democracy," she said.
In today's press:
Hopefuls use debate to gang up on Mitt By Kimberly AtkinsBoston Herald ReporterFriday, May 19, 2006 ...But Mihos praised Romney, saying if he were in charge, he’d follow his playbook point-by-point, calling on federal and state emergency agencies to move quickly and asking the president for disaster relief. “If I were in his place I would do the same thing,” Mihos said. But none of them missed a chance to take swipes at Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Republican nominee, who declined to take part in last night’s contest or any other until after the Democratic primary. ... more
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