Today the Republican National Committee announced they will no longer be participating in debates run by the Commission for Presidential Debates. I have fought for inclusion by the Commission for Presidential Debates for over 20 years to only be met with corrupt silence.
I am pleased the RNC has finally caught up to where I have been since 1987. The Commission for Presidential Debates has failed the country since their inception by being overtly partisan and exclusionary. This pay-to-play organization has only served as a mirage for democracy while actually lining the pockets of the two old parties.
In 2020, I committed to a Presidential debate in Chicago at the Pritzker Military Museum and Library hosted by the Committee for American Debate. I requested to name it “The Veterans Debate” in the spirit of bringing the troops home. Sadly, both Trump and Biden’s campaigns were forced to decline. A key reason was due to the contract the Commission on Presidential Debates had them sign, agreeing not to participate in debates run by any other organization.
Here’s the question – who should be in charge of what the debates look like? Definitely not the candidates or the parties.
It should be we the people. It should be you the voter.
My answer is to end the monopoly on debates. I look forward to a future of several different organizations hosting debates. I would love to see an HBCU, such as Howard University in our very capital of Washington DC, hosting debates on criminal justice reform.
We could have a panel of journalists hosting a First Amendment debate in New York.
Why not have the Gun Owners of America host a Second Amendment debate?
The Hoover Institution at Stanford could host a debate on markets and economy, the League of Women Voters could host a debate on voting rights…the possibilities are endless when you remove the partisan corruption.
The elimination of the CPD is a win for the democratic process. I was grateful to the Committee for American Debate for being non-partisan, fair, and honest. I hope that whatever option replaces the CPD is one in which the people come before the politics.
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