Dear Presidential Candidates,
It has come to my attention that two upcoming candidate forums are intentionally excluding some candidates from the process.
ABC and WMUR are holding both Democratic and Republican televised debates on January 5th in New Hampshire. My understanding is that the following people have been excluded from that event:
- Democratic Candidate Dennis Kucinich
- Democratic Candidate Joe Biden
- Democratic Candidate Chris Dodd
- Democratic Candidate Mike Gravel
- Republican Candidate Duncan Hunter
Fox News is reportedly holding a Republican candidate forum on January 6th in New Hampshire. My understanding is that the following people have been excluded from that event:
- Republican Candidate Ron Paul
- Republican Candidate Duncan Hunter
These exclusions are unacceptable to me. They should be unacceptable to you, too. It is now incumbent upon you to take action to stop this injustice from happening.
I am asking you to pledge to withdrawal from the debates unless every candidate is included. I realize, however, that the withdrawal of only some of the candidates would have two negative effects:
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It would likely damage the campaigns of those who were invited but did not participate more than it would benefit them.
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It would likely not result in the invitation of the excluded candidates.
With that in mind, I am asking every candidate in both parties to make this pledge:
Unless every candidate is invited to the ABC / WMUR and/or Fox forums I have been invited to participate in, I will withdrawal my participation if every other participating candidate will do so also.
There is no risk in making this pledge. If fewer than all of the candidates make the pledge, those candidates have gone on record supporting the fairness of the process. The events will likely go on as planned and the candidates who have made this pledge should point out that they are disappointed with both the networks perpetrating this problem and the lack of leadership on the part of the other candidates.
If all of the candidates make the pledge, the outcome does not impact any of the currently-invited candidates disproportionately. The most likely outcome is the invitation of all of the remaining candidates, which will make for more fair pre-primary debates and forums.
If you are ready to demonstrate your leadership abilities and make this pledge, please send your confirmation in writing to me via email at varrin at sugargroup dot net. Feel free to make a press release using the above statement as well.
Thank you for your swift leadership on this issue. I will report the names of the candidates who accept this pledge on this page for all to see.
Sincerely,
Varrin Swearingen