Summary: In this episode I examine why third party candidates were excluded from the Presidential Debates. I introduce you to the Commission on Presidential Debates that decides who can participate in the debates. Third party candidates that were excluded includes Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, Jill Stein of the Green Party, Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party, and Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party. The Commission on Presidential Debates began in 1987 by the Democratic and Republican parties. That’s right, the Commission was created by the Democratic and Republican parties. Now do you honestly think that they want any third party candidate to ever be on these debates? The Commission established a rule that for a party to be included in the national debates it must garner at least 15% support across five national polls. Now this was established to make sure that no third party candidate ever gets a fair hearing. Let me tell you how to control an election. Give the people an illusion of choice, limit it to two parties, and make sure that the two parties are firmly in the control of the wealthy elite. The fact is that the Bankers, Big Business and Billionaires own this country, you don’t. These elections are a charade, to give you the illusion of choice. Noam Chomsky has stated that other Western democracies “have not yet achieved the U.S. system of one political party, with two factions controlled by shifting segments of the business community.” As Sheldon Wolin writes in his book Democracy Inc., “The United States has become the showcase of how democracy can be managed without appearing to be suppressed.” In such a system he explains, “Voters are made as predictable as consumers.” The second thing you need to do is to control the media. The mainstream media is owned by Big Business and Billionaires, so they have an unwritten agenda. Don’t piss off your boss or your sponsors, if you want to keep your job. This effectively narrows public opinion to an acceptable level of disagreement. If a Ross Perot, a Ralph Naders, or a Ron Paul do rise up to actually gain national attention, label them a "kook," or a "nut," and their ideas as "way out there." So far this strategy has worked perfectly. I end the Show with a clip from Democracy Now, who expanded the Presidential Debate to include Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. Of course they were not part of the official debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney, but had to be edited in. I just share one topic, Obamacare. But from this one clip you can see how other alternatives are eliminated from the national debate. Research Links Democracy Now: Expanding the Debate Exclusive List of political parties in the United States The Constitution Party The Democratic Party The Republican Party The Green Party The Justice Party The Libertarian Party Voicemail Feedback Line Your feedback is important, please call 505-750-3121 and leave a voice message to be played on the show. Music Credits There is no America There is no Democracy by MysticMDT Podcast Survey You can help me better serve you and let me know a little more about you. Please fill out the survey over at the Blubrry Network, the link is: http://www.blubrry.com/jayforrestshow/survey/ Jay Forrest Show Resources My Blog - Read the latest from my personal Blog Beliefs - What are the basic beliefs of Buddhism. About - Who is Jay Forrest? Contact - Contact information including email and phone number. Bookstore - A list of some of the best Buddhist books. Shop - Buy a T-Shirt or Mug and show your support. Privacy Policy - Read our Privacy Policy Subscribe to the Podcast Make sure you never miss an episode of the Jay Forrest Show by subscribing to the podcast. For complete instructions click here.
