Excluded from ABC debate, Kucinich complains to FCC
Sabrina Eaton Plain Dealer Bureau Saturday, January 05, 2008
Washington- Cleveland Congressman Dennis Kucinich filed a complaint Friday with the Federal Communications Commission after ABC News excluded him, fellow Democrat Mike Gravel and Republican Duncan Hunter from its prime- time debates on Saturday, the Associated Press reports.
Kucinich says ABC is violating equal-time provisions by keeping him out of the debate and noted that ABC's parent company, Walt Disney Co., contributed to campaigns of four Democrats who were invited.
"ABC should not be the first primary," Kucinich said in papers filed at the FCC.
According to the AP, the Republican debate lineup is Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. It starts at 7 p.m. EST.
Shortly after that 90-minute forum, Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Bill Richardson will take the stage at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.
ABC said the candidates left out of the debates failed to meet support benchmarks that were outlined to each campaign before the Iowa caucus.
Kucinich did not complain about these rules ahead of time, said spokeswoman Cathie Levine, who had no further comment since she hasn't seen the FCC filing.
Debate organizers said some time ago that participants would have to score at 5 percent or above in recent national or New Hampshire polls, or place in Iowa's top four.
Leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in New Hampshire objected after those criteria were announced.
On Friday night, Kucinich e- mailed presidential campaign supporters a solicitation for cash he would like to use to run an ad during the debate in which he calls himself a "real Democrat" and criticizes fellow Democrats for failing to end the Iraq war and rejecting his call to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
"A courageous vote is the only vote worth casting," Kucinich says in the ad.
Dennis Kucinich, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-Ohio).

Late Friday, the "Kucinich for President" campaign filed an emergency complaint with the United States  (FCC). They suggest tonight's  Democratic debate broadcast is "violating ABC's obligation to operate in the public interest", by barring Dennis Kucinich.

His campaign stressed that while his "opponents share very similar policy platforms", Kucinich has unique ideas on major issues. Excluding him "is contrary to 'the public interest to afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of issues of public importance'."

Filed by campaign Legal Counsel Donald J. McTigue, a scan of the complete complaint is available online as an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file.

Among the main points of Kucinich's submission are that he has hundreds of campaign volunteers, as well as a significant paid staff roster, received significant financial contributions from New Hampshire (the state to have the first primary in the country every presidential election), has won in online polls by Democracy for America, the Virginia State Democratic Party, Independent Voters, and Progressive Democrats of America and the Nation, and even winning an ABC News poll asking "who won the Democratic presidential primary debate on August 19, 2007."

Kucinich did not contest the inclusion rules when they were announced, ABC spokesperson Cathie Levine said. As she hadn't seen the FCC filing at the time, she did not comment further to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Recently Kucinich was excluded from '''' debate, yet was actor and activist Sean Penn's personal pick for President.

Democrat Mike Gravel and Republican  were also barred from the broadcast, which starts at 7 pm EST tonight.