Tasini, Clinton and Time Warner cable

Call or e-mail: Robert Hardt – Director of Politics, NY1, 212-379-3330 or Robert.Hardt@ny1news.com. Tell them everyone on the ballot is entitled to participate in the debate.

We busted our behinds in heat, rain, and gloom of night to get 40,000 signatures and put Jonathan Tasini on the ballot.

Now NY1 is telling him that he's not eligible to participate in their televised debate.

When did NY1 become the arbiter of whether or not voters can be informed about candidates?

Is this a move on the part of Clinton's media team to keep Tasini out of the public eye?

"What is Clinton so afraid of?" That's the question I would routinely ask her supporters who politely refused to sign the petition to get Jonathan Tasini's name on the ballot for the NY Democratic party's US Senate election this fall. Isn't debate good for democracy? Shouldn't the people have more choice? If you're sure Clinton is the best candidate, why not let her demonstrate it in an informative debate?

But with the desperate Joe Lieberman next door, Clinton apparently isn't taking any chances.

NY1 has insisted that candidates can't be in their debate unless they have spent $500,000 dollars and polled at least 5% of the electorate. Of course, NY 1 is property of Time Warner Cable. Guess who they donated $5000 to last year? You got it: Tasini's opponent.

It's great to have friends in the media business, BIG friends. Then if you run for office they can guarantee that your opponent -- even if his positions are popular and reasonable -- can get shut out of the pre primary coverage and debates.

I wonder how much Hillary Clinton is going to owe Time Warner for this favor if she gets to the Senate? Unfortunately, when I called her Washington offices today, none of her aids were able to tell me her position on the recent FCC opening for public comment of the rules of media ownership.

Maybe Senator Clinton herself would be able to help Jonathan Tasini get into the debates. She's a firm believer in fair elections.

Last spring, India had an election and 550 million or so people voted from the dot-com billionaire to the poor, illiterate peasant. They all voted. Mr. President, they voted on electronic voting machines. They voted in a way that guaranteed the safety and security and accuracy of their vote. They had uniform standards. They had a nonpartisan board that oversaw that election. The result was shocking-they threw out the existing government. Nobody predicted that. Yet they did it with integrity. Surely, we should be setting the standards. I would hope that this body, and thanks to the objection of my friend from California, this debate which has started today will continue.

In any case, maybe she could use her clout with Time Warner on our behalf--the little people--so that we could at least hear what one of the candidates we put on the ballot for the United States Senate election has to say.

On the other hand, maybe we should just cancel the election and ask Time Warner to just go ahead and appoint our Senators for us.