Is there a poll where I can rate those so called mainstream polls?

I posted a blog article on my site here: Mike Gravel Censored From MSNBC Polls. Please click "Digg this" and "Reddit" at the top to boost it's ranking on those sites, and get as many people as possible to rank Gravel #1 in their stupid poll. We will be heard!

Mike Gravel for President in 2008

In regards to the story posted to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16710815, I find it despicable that a news organization such as yourselves can practice unfair screening as you and the outsourced "National Journal" have done.

As you had written:
"(We're not ranking Mike Gravel... This guy's not just a third-tier longshot, he might be a little, um, off. Seriously, he was downright rude. Why should anyone agree to appear on stage with him? And why should any mainstream Democratic group invite him?)"

What in the world gives you the power to decide for US what's worthy of being covered and what is not? As journalists, isn't it your job to tell the public what has happened without editorializing it? Remember as well: just because it's "mainstream" it doesn't mean it's right. After all, that would mean Britney Spears and N'Sync are examples of GOOD music...but I digress.

Why shouldn't any mainstream Democratic group invite him? Perhaps it's because he is running for office under the banner of the Democratic party! "Why should anyone agree to appear on stage with him?" Any of the other candidates should agree to be up on stage to demonstrate that he's wrong and his or her way of thinking is correct. The American people should be the ones deciding who's worthy of our attention, not YOU.

"These rankings are ordered by likelihood of winning the Democratic Party primary and are based on a number of factors, including organization, money, buzz and polling."

Buzz? Does that refer to how stoned you are? Oh, I get it, you mean how much of a buzz he or she has generated. I'm sure you can agree that without being given the issues at hand---in an objective manner---there won't be much of a buzz.

Why should MONEY have a factor in any of this? Does the fact that someone may have accepted money for favors to be returned at a later date make him or her a more suitable candidate? That is ludicrous! What should count is the issues at hand, NOT how large their bank account is.

Our country wouldn't be nearly as screwed up as it is right now if the media actually reported the news instead of passing off concocted idiocy as "the news."

Case in point: The war in Iraq. To learn what I'm talking about, do yourselves a favor and watch the Bill Moyers documentary "Buying the War" to learn how you screwed us over, sending us into a war killing thousands of innocent people and making people all around the world distrust us.

The mainstream media should be ashamed of themselves for the downward spiral our country has been sent into. Please do our nation (and yourselves!) a favor: Learn from the errors of your ways and become responsible journalists once again. If you need tips, research how http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_R._Murrow did it.

So long, and good luck.

 

In regards to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16710815

To whom it may concern,

I recently noticed you decided not to include Gravel in your listing of Democratic candidates, because you think he is rude?! I thought as journalist you are supposed to oppose censorship, not publicly practice it. You have just dismissed one of the best presidential candidates this country has had in over a decade.

You expect candidates to pussy foot around and be “politically correct”? Is it your responsibility and privilege to decide who can run for president? Maybe people are right…our media needs to stop hiring low paid puppet journalist and get some real journalism done.

By excluding Gravel in your presidential candidate listings you are only contributing to the sedated state of Americans in modern day society. For the past 20 years Americans have slowly become zombies, rarely questioning the practices of our ever increasingly corrupt and shady government. We finally get a straight shooter for a presidential candidate and MSNBC takes it upon themselves to personally ruin his campaign by making him nearly non-existent to your viewers/readers.

Congratulations on throwing all your credibility out the window. Think twice before you let some other website like National Journal contribute to your news. I know your journalist did not write this, but the fact you do not even carefully screen the material is enough for me to never return to your site or consider NBC a “credited” news source again. I’ll make a special effort to mention your horrendous actions on my increasingly popular blog sometime this week.

Here is the exchange of e-mails I've had regarding this. Needless to say, I'm disgusted with their response and continued lack of appreciation for having substance in the debates:

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Swihart [mailto:arsst33@pitt.edu]
Sent: Wed 5/2/2007 12:46 PM
To: Ambinder, Marc; Chuck.Todd@nbcuni.com
Subject: You article frightens me!

Dear Media,
I was deeply disturbed by your article here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16710815

Do you want these debates to be nothing more than beauty contests? Why should Democrats have to put up with this guy? Because he led to the end of the Vietnam War draft and published the Pentagon Papers, showing extraordinary leadership and political tactics in a climate that was perhaps even more polarizing than we have today with Iraq. The nervous laughter of the other candidates and probably yourself is proof in itself that he speaks the truth. To squash any substance from these debates is about the worst thing you could possibly advocate! What a disgrace. I hope you can understand the points I've made.

Sincerely,
Andrew Swihart

Ambinder, Marc wrote:

Andrew,

Thanks for the note.

Here's our reasoning: It was a debate; instead of exchanging ideas and pressing points, Gravel resorted to ad hominem attacks. Frankly, his message was powerful enough without them. If you were Hillary Clinton, why would you put yourself in a situation like that?

Chuck Todd and Marc Ambinder

Dear Media,
What are you referring to as an ad hominem attack? That he said "these people frighten me"? That Biden has a "certain arrogance"? To me, these are mild comments by comparison to the things the media has been saying about Gravel, that he is a kook, a drunken uncle, marginalizing his campaign more and more! In your article, was that not an ad hominem attack when you said he's, um, a "little off"? Hypocrite!

Your fellow MSNBC employees Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman had the audacity to erupt in uproarious laughter as Gravel tried to explain his tactics for ending the war! And this after he already proved himself as the only person able to do this back in Vietnam! Meanwhile, John Edwards and others have interviews with the media in which they call for Congress to "stand strong" and keep sending the same bill to the president over and over again, only to be vetoed, and the host is dead serious, giving credibility to a futile tactic and a candidate with no real solution.

You recognize the powerful message Gravel had during the debates, but seek to exclude him from the race (by not televising him), because why? He hurt another candidate's feelings? It is pitiful to me that you would sacrifice having a revolutionary candidate like Gravel taken out of the race just because he didn't have perfect "manners" during this debate, which was otherwise a snoozefest had he not brought such passion and courage to the stage and to his opponents. It makes me sick, that's all I can say, and you should be ashamed for publishing such an article as you did, and I would encourage you to issue an apology to Mike Gravel for your ad hominem attack on him!

Sincerely,
Andrew Swihart

Mike Gravel for President in 2008

Daniel Lupinski

Why dose the media think they can misslead the American people? I have been dreaming of the chance to have a say on what happens in my country. The big dogs are just shakking in ther boots. They dont want us to have our rights and if Mike dosnt get elected we will slowly but shurly lose our rights.

I WANT CHANGE!!!

NOT MORE OF THE SAME!!!

MSNBC has outsourced their election reporting to National Journal >> http://nationaljournal.com/campaigns/

These are the folks who need your feedback guidance love and mentoring on the sensible approach to help america out of the septic tank it fell into.

 

Notice MSNBC's flagship sponsor on this page is "death from above" Boeing Inc. [who only make civilian jetliners as an afterthought]

 

question: What's the difference between a "hedge fund player" and a "Bu$h fund player"

To the Editor / in re. to news story msnbc.msn.com/id/16710815

letters@msnbc.com

 

The link to the National Journal ( http://nationaljournal.com/help/feedback.htm ) is a good one.  Use it, be angry but composed, and be sure to remind them that their reporters were exactly what they accused Mike of being: downright rude.  Either that's not a bad thing, in which case they should never have excluded Mike, or it is, in which case they owe him an apology -- preferably a long, public one with an honest, not a 'quirky,' examination of his policies.

If you have a business, or are a decision-maker in one, be sure they know you won't be using their services for partnership or advertising until this is cleared up.

  I sent them a flaming letter of outrage. Damn this really gets under my skin the way these pompus fools pull this crap on this nation year in and year out. I'm starting to feel that the only people trully loyal to the America I was raised in. Are over there being killed for a lie! Angry doesn't begin to describe it.

I sent this Email to MSNBC and a similar one to National Journal.

Subject:No Gravel Censorship

To whom it may concern,

This is pure Orwellian censorship. If MSNBC actually values true journalism it should end this practice of media censorship and include Senator Gravel in the rankings.

 

This is incredibly stupid. MSNBC is making a large error here to the American viewers. Regardless if people want to vote for someone else, Mike Gravel should get the same time and chance as anyone else!!! So what if hes straight forward. if the future candidates can't handle Gravel telling them the truth to their face, how the hell are they going to handle anything as a president? The news, media, and the cautious politically polite candidates need to grow some balls. The more Mike gets censored the more hyped I get to do everything I can to make him the next President.

I am officially pissed as hell. I sent angry emails to both the originator of the article and msnbc

There is not one day that I wake up and not think about the bloodshed over there.  It is not o.k.  Every time you down a beer or feed your face; think about someone being slaughtered over there.  This is a genocide.  It was wrong from the start.  As a result of this war, 2 maybe 3 times the people have died than when Saddam was in power.  Oh, but they hung Saddam!  Make no mistake, Saddam is not a good guy!  George W. said "Get them killers", "there are killers," "killers", "killers!" How does this sh*t happen over and over again like a revolving door?  It is a cycle.  War, war, stop communism, war, stop communism, war, war, stop terrorism, war, stop terrorism, war, stop terrorism!  Do you like those ism's?  ism, ism, ism; hmmmmmmmmm.  They just need a reason because it is all about control and control over the world!  I think that Mike Gravel is right about the military industrial complex.  They need a reason to go to war every so many years not only see how there new weapons are going to work that they have produced, but also to have a reason to keep up that defense budget and of course "MONEY".  Build more nukes we will never need to use because we can already blow up the world a gazillion times over, yeah, dont think about feeding hungry people or creating more jobs.  Sick!! 

This is our chance!  Our chance to stop the cycle of liars!  Stop the cycle of a One-party government!  Our chance to stop the cycle of this cycle!  Our chance to change our country to the way the people want it!  Our chance to believe in freedom!  Our chance for freedom!  It all rides on Mike!  but, he cant do it alone...we have to go way out of our way to help!  Talk to people, even if your shy!  Do something instead of watching American idol "I refuse to because it is on fox which will change when football rolls around though."  That is as far as my hypocrisy will go!  Get out, shut off the t.v., and spread the word...because this is our chance and yes, I am serious here.  Break your routine and fight for true freedom.  Yeah, I know, that was deep!

RSW

Sir or Madam,

As regards your May 2, 07 article entitled: "White House 2008 rankings: The Democrats; A bi-weekly rating of the presidential candidates", (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16710815) you're saying you refused to rank Senator Gravel because he was rude? Because he was RUDE???

The current administration illegally invades Iraq, initiating a bloodbath and when a former Senator and Presidential candidate calls a spade a spade, your spine fails to the point that you snivel that he's being rude? I also notice you OMITTED the name of the person who wrote the article.

May I suggest that you apply for work on your local high school's newspaper staff? I'm sure the demands of the journalism involved there won't overtax your whimpering constitution too much.

You make me sick. Get out of the newspaper business or stand up and think like a human being.

Mike Kowalski
Los Angeles

The more the mainstream media try to shut out Mike Gravel the more I will donate to his campaign!

no wonder gravel is simply an "asterix" on most polls. he's not even included.

 anyways. someone should start a petition, and really, writing emails DO work.

reflect your views and let those beeples at msnbc know that gravel has the right to be taken seriously. this isn't only censorship, its unfair and biased - an illegal contribution to the other campaigns. gravel deserves to be heard, and the sooner the main(/lame)stream starts taking him seriously - the better.

 and he certainly wasn't rude.

---

http://plubius.wordpress.com wants Gravel for President!

Here's the email I wrote to MSNBC:

 

To whom it may concern,

I was browsing your website when I came upon this story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16710815. I was absolutely outraged at the way the writer insulted Mike Gravel and arbitrarily decided to censor him from the rankings. This is a blatant attempt to try and limit his public exposure early on, and portray him as "unelectable", thereby killing his potential support.

Gravel's words at the debate were powerful and honest, but they were most definitely not rude. He forced the candidates to be more straightforward in their answers, which made them very uncomfortable. As the information providers of this country, that is exactly the obligation which you are neglecting to perform.

It is your journalistic duty to show a full and fair view of the political landscape, not to snuff out campaigns because you disagree with someone. Do the right thing, give Gravel the coverage he deserves.

Sincerely

Will Rogers

I generally don't watch much mainstream news and was unaware of the fact that MSNBC was such a ridiculous network.  Last night, I saw a speaker, Jeff Cohen.  He used to work for MSNBC and definitely had nothing good to say about them.  For example, he said that right before the Iraq war, if he wanted to have an anti-war guest he was required to have two pro war guest.  He also said that when one woman wanted to have Michael Moore appear she was told that she would have to have three people from the right to balance things.  The media in this country makes me sick; they are controlled by the corporations lining their pockets.  I just hope that enough of the rest of the country is as ready and willing to fight the fact that the major news organizations are going to try to squash Senator Gravel's chances.

I wonder what they'll do with the republican debate if there is a "rude" candidate. Will they turn around and praise that person or will they do like Senator Gravel and call them kooky? I'm going with the former.

"Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, He thinks too much;  such men are Dangerous."

I just sent them BOTH an email.  Here is a copy in case any of you guys want to use or use for ideas!!!!!

LET THEM HAVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!  THEY WILL NOT CONTROL the WILL of the AMERICAN PEOPLE!

If you notice however on the side of the list of candidates they do list Gravel there. To say he was rude is just ignorant or they didn't watch. He was angry and passionate but he's saying what so many of us have been thinking for months if not years now! So because Gravel didn't kiss the ass of the socalled front runners he's rude? This was supposed to be a debate correct? And in a debate you [i]do[/i] challenge people the last time I checked. I listened to Randi Rhodes show the next day and people called in LOVING Gravel! Screw MSNBC. They're just trying to smear him and it won't work.

People we need to fight this tooth and nail.  Call all of your democratic office's and let them know that you strongly support Gravel.  Tell everyone you know to vote for him.  What is MSNBC's excuse for not mentioning Gravel before the debates?  Why isn't Myspace including him in the Impact Channel or Youtube on Youchoose 08?  I don't want to be lumped in with left wing nut job conspiracy theorists but I'm about convinced that they don't want us to hear the truth nor have a valid solution available to us.  These media outlets make millions off of the elections & Gravel's platform signals an end to that money train.  It will also end the military industrial money train that is profited off of by the same people who now own the media.  Now they are buying the internet so that even our peer networks can be censored.  Gravel's polls shot way up the night of the debate.  They are telling us that our opinion will not matter and that we can't have it. 

 If Gravel doesn't win the Dem nomination I pray to God that he doesn't quit that he & Ron Paul do sign up on the same ticket and run indie.  America is sick and tired of politics as usual!  There is no "left" & "right"  in the main tier, there is rich and powerful.  Anyone with common sense who wants equality and fairness for everyone and a livable planet is labeled as a "left wing nut job".  I'm sick of it.  This is not fair.  This is my country, you jerks work for me!!!!!!!!!!!!  We outnumber you, we finance you and you know what YOU ARE FIRED.  No debate needed. GRAVEL '08!!!!!!!!!!!

Feedback for the people that wrote the story: http://nationaljournal.com/help/feedback.htm
Feedback for the people that ran the story: letters@msnbc.com

I've already written e-mails to them. If enough people write, we can change the coverage and get Mike included!

Run as Independent then? If they shut Mike out, then they (DNC) will lose my vote!  Not that they would care that much about my one vote.

RSW

"Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, He thinks too much;  such men are Dangerous."

 

Story on DIGG

 

http://www.digg.com/politics/Mike_Gravel_not_included_in_MSNBC_poll_because_he_was_get_this_rude