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Keyes in, Kucinich out of Iowa debates

By Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor December 12, 2007 10:43 AM

The crucial presidential debates in Iowa today and Thursday will have a slightly different cast of characters.

The Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television invited Alan Keyes, a Reagan administration official who also ran for president in 1996 and 2000, to today's Republican debate. He was not invited to the other major debates.

Dennis Kucinich, on the other hand, was left off the stage for the Democratic debate Thursday because he does not have a campaign office and full-time staff in Iowa.

And Kucinich, who has been part of all other debates, is none too happy, accusing the debate sponsors of stiffing him for spurious reasons since his field director works out of a home office.

"The Iowa caucuses have been portrayed as having national implications, and if the Register has decided to use hair-splitting technicalities to exclude the leading voice of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, then the entire process is suspect," his campaign said in a statement released today.

The debates are scheduled for 2 p.m. both today and tomorrow and will air live on cable stations, including CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, and on some PBS stations and C-SPAN. For those political junkies who can't watch TV during work hours, the debates will also be streamed live on www.iptv.org and www.desmoinesregister.com.

16 comments so far...
  1. To anyone like me who is outraged by Dennis Kucinich's exclusion from the debate, you can register your disapproval by calling the Desmoines Register at 1-800-247-5346.

    Posted by Anne December 12, 07 03:58 PM
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  1. Dennis Kucinich will soon just be a footnote - I'm glad he wasn't invited - leave the time to viable candidates

    Posted by Monte Crawford December 12, 07 04:31 PM
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  1. Do you mean viable candidates like Dodd??? ;)

    Pleaaase!!!!

    Posted by Juan Gastolfi December 12, 07 11:46 PM
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  1. this is complete bull-crap-----------they're keeping him out because he's the only one who is a dissenting voice against the system..

    Posted by jason December 13, 07 12:03 AM
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  1. He ran Cleveland Ohio into bond debt years ago. go home dennie

    Posted by paul peters December 13, 07 05:20 AM
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  1. Excluding Dennis Kucinich from the Iowa debates is a poor reflection on Iowa for allowing this to happen. Fear, arrogance, and corruption are what allows and promotes this sort of behavior. So, Iowa, what are you afraid of hearing?

    Posted by Eve December 13, 07 09:12 AM
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  1. You know, Paul, if they tell a lie often enough, suckers like you will believe it. Yes, Kucinich resisted selling the municipal power supply to the big banks in Cleveland and the city ended up being forced into default. But, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story is that in 1998 the city council honored him for having the "courage and foresight" to stand up to the banks and saving the city an estimated $195 million between 1985 and 1995.

    Posted by Gregory Stricherz December 13, 07 09:55 AM
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  1. Dennis Kucinich has had some sensible comments in previous debates. I watched Alan Keyes yesterday on the Republican stage and you can't lead me to believe that he is a serious candidate . Mike Huckabeee with his stupid attacks on Romney's religion is a disgrace to the debates and the campaign process.

    Posted by Bill Hamlin December 13, 07 10:07 AM
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  1. Bottomline: This is another example of how our democracy is being eroded.

    Posted by Jason December 13, 07 12:41 PM
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  1. Bottomline: This is another example of how our democracy is being eroded.

    Posted by Jason December 13, 07 12:48 PM
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  1. Thank you, Anne The phone number to the Register worked and I registered my complaint. I'm sure they don't care, but it's good to add a voice. I spoke to my in-laws last night who do not have a computer and therefore no internet, and they only know of Clinton, Obama, and Edwards running for the Democrats and thought Kucinich was someone from an independent party. they also knew only of Guiliani, Huckabee, and Romney from the Republican party. Good work Main Stream Corporate Media!!!!

    Posted by john December 13, 07 04:37 PM
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  1. Thank you, Anne The phone number to the Register worked and I registered my complaint. I'm sure they don't care, but it's good to add a voice. I spoke to my in-laws last night who do not have a computer and therefore no internet, and they only know of Clinton, Obama, and Edwards running for the Democrats and thought Kucinich was someone from an independent party. they also knew only of Guiliani, Huckabee, and Romney from the Republican party. Good work Main Stream Corporate Media!!!!

    Posted by john December 13, 07 04:38 PM
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  1. Does anyone out there know that Kucinich got a bill passed in the house to have the Judiciary Committee, John Conyers, investigate impeachment for Cheney? Weeks ago! It should have been on the front page of every newspaper int his Country and on every TV station but its not...I think Dennis is the only candidate who will stand up for us! Wonder how Dodd will take it when they tell him you arent invited! This is all b.s. anyway...we need to get rid of the electoral college...we dont need delegats to cast votes for us! We need voting machines that arent hacked....why not use our fingerprint? wonder what the status of the Cheney impeachment investigation is?

    Posted by Susan Rappoli December 13, 07 06:51 PM
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  1. P.S. I have been writing to my senator, Bill Nelson, Florida and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both democrats demanding impeachment proceedings against Cheney first then Bush....their numerous replys are: Impractical, too costly, it will take the focus off the war. What is going on in Washington?

    Posted by Susan Rappoli December 13, 07 07:06 PM
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  1. P.S. I have been writing to my senator, Bill Nelson, Florida and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, both democrats demanding impeachment proceedings against Cheney first then Bush....their numerous replys are: Impractical, too costly, it will take the focus off the war. What is going on in Washington?

    Posted by Susan Rappoli December 13, 07 07:07 PM
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  1. I called the Des Moines Register to lodge my complaint and then wrote a letter to Carol Washburn. After hearing Elizabeth Kucinich speak in Denver 2 nights ago, I am resolved to maintaining a respectful but challenging tone. I told her she would be suspected of receiving some kind of payoff and that this makes us even more resolved that we need to take our education about Congressman Kucinich to the streets. Even if they plan on stealing another election, it will be harder to do if exit polls say that a majority of voters voted for Kucinich. In fact, in this age of stealing elections, what do we have to lose by voting our heart? It's the way we should be voting anyway.

    Posted by Valerie Burns December 14, 07 08:42 PM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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