Future Presidential Debates

• June 28-- All-American Presidential Forums on PBS

From 9 - 10:30pm

televised live on PBS and pbs.org

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/special/forums/index.html

• August 19, Sunday, 8am - 9:30am

Televised live on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. "The Iowa Democratic Party is proud to co-sponsor this debate with ABC News and ABC5/WOI-TV," said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan.

FYI

Mike Gravel's YouTube site is great!

        http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=gravel2008

Vote in the "new" polls quick as they WILL close...

New Poll asking if Mike Gravel should be invited to future debates:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/6/4/11224/27275

New Poll: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/debates/scorecard/

New Poll: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18983268/

http://www.strawpoll08.com/

http://nationaljournal.com/racerankings/wh08/democrats/

http://www.2008horserace.com/

http://www.yourfreepoll.com/aiqaikctsp.html

http://www.yourfreepoll.com/xswpsqpisp.html

http://www.cpoll.com/poll?id=2716716

http://www.yourfreepoll.com/rbtjrxfcsp.html

The "straw poll" is here: http://www.strawpoll08.com

and as of my writing Senator Gravel leads all candidates in all but one of the polls. Damn impressive.

 

There is an opportunity on this web site in a section called "fair debate" for the candidate to post video of their positions on various issues.

http://www.strawpoll08.com/fairdebate/gravel.htm

Someone from the campaign might find this a beneficial effort.

--

I did not watch the most recent debate, but I did read the transcript of the total comments made by Senator Gravel. His responses - all of them - were consistent with the values he has expressed from the beginning of this effort. The fact that he and several other candidates did not receive equal time should not diminish his message.

Senator Gravel - hang in there!

We will do the same for you.

Piece by piece our country is being whittlied away. The media and the public (by strictly nursing off this comfortable nanny) are slowly becoming insensitive to the sort of thing the country has become. What kind of leaders do we have? Their policies have strictly been policies of fear. Fear of terrorists, fear of immigrants, fear of science. Soon it will be the fear of people who don't fear others, people like Mike Gravel.

The Gravel campaign is attempting to follow the dictates of the media, which has been complicit in perpetuating the disintegration of the nation's integrity. YOU MUST take your message directly to the people. You need to sponsor (perhaps with the other ignored candidates your own debates, ads or whatever). The media is simply using you as comic relief!

Mike Gravel understands that the majority of Americans are fed up with the way this country has been ran during the last 7 years.  He has put himself in the shoes of the American people because he is an American and he’s not blinded by the political bullshit going on.  He’s a real person who is concerned for real people out in this country that can’t speak about issues concerning the American public, so, on his behalf he speaks for us. 

 

During the debate he didn’t get a chance to speak much, and that’s okay because he had a chance to listen, write down his notes, and plan his counter smoothly for future references.  This guy knows his stuff, and he has a GREAT mindset for bettering America domestically, even though it is important to have good relations with the rest of the world in trade and politics.  I believe his focus is US the U.S.   Listen to him talk, his animosity towards our country’s political falter is because he’s sees more of the crap going on in Washington D.C. that needs to be dealt with and changed.  Mike “YOU” are our only hope to a NEW & IMPROVED AMERICA!  I strongly believe that, and you got my vote!

Thank you Mike for showing up at this debate and for putting up with obnoxious treatment from CNN. It's got to be infuriating to be put on the sideline (literally) and given much less time to speak than the mainstream, say nothing, candidates.

There's no way to honestly look at and talk about the current world situation without getting testy. Sure thousands of innocent people are losing their lives and trillions of dollars are being poured down a rat hole, but that's still no reason to get too serious about the whole thing. My advice (what a joke) to Mike Gravel is to forget all the impossible to comprehend "in between" and simply skip over to the end you hold in mind. Derive your calmness and clarity from a deep belief that everything will turn out in your favor. In the short run, see yourself emerging from the debates as the obvious front runner. In the longer run, see yourself emerging from four years as the most popular president in the history of the Union. These visualizations help eliminate the cacophony of debilitating mental chatter and let your genuine good nature shine through.

The opportunity Mike has taken to speak to the American people is something we should all be giving thanks for. I heartily thank Mike Gravel for bravely and creatively confronting self serving politicians who would gain the world and lose their soul.

Mike, you are a hero. Whatever you do and whatever happens from this point forward, you have already done your country and your fellow citizen’s an extraordinary service. Thank you for your generosity, your clarity and your bravery.

1. Come up with a single word that sums up the philosophy of those who would be attracted to Gravel. I like the word "liberalitarian", a blending of liberal and libertarian.

2. Find a respected celebrity that is willing to attach his or her name to the cause. I know that Morgan Freeman has similar views, there are bound to be others.

3. Emphasize your libertarian views with respect to drug policy. No other candidate has the guts to go against the grain with respect to this incredibly destructive drug "war" that our country is waging. Obtain endorsements from the Drug Policy Alliance, the Marijuana Policy Poject, NORML, etc.

4. Educate the american public by asking unexpected questions during the debates which will force media attention onto subjects the others don't want to talk about. For example, ask Hillary about "Gulbuddin Hekmatyar" and see where the media runs with that...

The "straw poll 08" page doesn't even work on either of my browsers.  It looks like only about 400 people have voted this month -- a tiny sampling.  It's hard to take that kind of poll seriously.

Both parties are so manipulated by corporate America, I think Mike should run as an independant candidate.

There must be a source out there, an idea, which will promote and popularize Gravel and his cause.  If nothing like this exists, perhaps a site similar in principle to moveon.org, but for a concrete candidate needs to be created.  Hoping that the size of Blitz-time handouts will grow is futile.  Any ideas? 

PS.  I maybe off the mark with all of the above, but it does not seem like Mike's site, or anything I know, generate enough noise.

Trolls or not, I'm really getting tired of these people who are so jaded with the world they can't form an opinion stronger than a cup of weak tea. When will people realize that politics, just like everything else, shouldn't be about machievellian manouvering. My god, some of the comments in this thread make it sound like we're voting on an actor in chier. Or maybe a manican in chief. But then again why does it matter to them?

They can laugh all they want at the under dogs. They gloat because they can afford to gloat. They smugly assert that the best candidate is the one that knows how to hold their head when speaking. Wears the right tie. Or maybe its candidate who stays so middle of the raod they never say anything at all except...'ehhh'.

Bullocks. I'm tired of trying to justify passion to a bunch of pseudo-suicidal non entities who make their lives a jumble of slogans and half-truths. Think big for once, please. You might find there's a world outside the little room you call your mind.

Gravel is great.  He is the only one who understands that the system is due for a grand ovehaul.  The rest, except for Kusinic, are absolutely pathetic and vomit provoking.  The only attitude of Gravel's that I have difficulty with is that against nuclear energy.  I think that the nuclear path is the only transitional option toward alternative energy sources.

goodrich

Gravel is now #1 in the weekly straw poll, 3% points ahead of Clinton, and he's tied for first with Clinton in the monthly straw poll. Let's keep those numbers climbing...CNN, FOX, and all the rest can say who they think is top tier, but we have the power to show them differently. Keep voting!

Mike what are you sourcing from? On stage last night it was fear, anger and frustration. Very understandable and valid feelings considering your situation. However acting from these feelings does not send the message you want. You have talked about ending the war and using diplomacy to bring peace to the region. How can the American people believe that you have that ability if you can't use those skills with the other candidates on stage. The other candidates are not your enemies, so don't treat them like they are. You need to source from love. As you said we need more love. That does not mean love only the people you like. Do not point your fingers at "them". Embrace them, work with them, show how you would use your diplomatic skills to work with a country that doesn't see your way. We are all friends. I think that on the next debate your first comment should be an apology to the other candidates and the American people. You said it was very important to admit when you have made a mistake. This would bring a clean slate and fresh place to start from. Show us how you can lead. We need leadership. In the hardest time is when the best in us can shine. Dean

Go to http://www.strawpoll08.com/ !!! Mike is second on the list for three of the polls!! He's only behind Hillary by 4 or 5% He's only short about 5 votes on one and 20 on another.. vote for him now!! It resets weekly and monthly!

By chance I happened upon the debate last night. It was the first I've seen this election and was excited to see whether Hilary or Obama impressed me more, assuming one of them would get my vote.

 Well, Hilary was a absolute disaster and if she is nominated, I hope some miracle occurs and the republican candidate is refreshingly intelligent so I don't have to vote for Clinton. Obama was interesting being young and energetic but seemed a bit confused and had trouble answering even simple "yes or no" questions - he was not the superstar I'd been led to expect. Kucinich impressed me with his intelligence and policies - I'll have to have a serious look at him, I'd been told he was an unrealistic extremist but he seemed solid to me.

 But man, if I had to vote based on what I saw, its Gravel hands down. He was honest, blunt, and direct. He answered questions rather than talk in circles trying to avoid offending anyone. Looking at his web site I have to admit I have a hard time seeing how his tax plan would work, but he seems very smart, honest, and ready to do the right thing so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. He was the only one who said exactly what I wanted to hear which was the simple truth as understood by an intelligent man, plainly delivered. I'd never heard of him before, but he was clearly the only one on that stage who I'd be comfortable endorsing right now. Good luck with the campaign, I'll tell my friends about you.

It is so beyond obvious that the candidates with the most money, in order, get the most time to speak.  These are not debates; they are billion dollar campaign speeches.  Why even call them debates??  None of the top-tier candidates would get into a serious debate with Mike; because they would get their a** kicked in it. (pun intended)  Mike got shafted again and can never get on a roll because as Wolf said, "Mike you have a few seconds what would you do?"  1....2... Senator Dodd what about you?  I  would.....Senator Dodd, Senator Dodd?  1...2....3.....4.....5.......commercial guys!  Like Biden said, as long as there is no cap on campaign funding this will always be a country ran by special interest groups and corporations; NOT THE PEOPLE!

RSW

What is the possibility of the Gravel, Kucinich, Biden and Dodd campaigns buying network time to have a debate between just the four of the them? They need to get the number of debaters down. It is a ridiculous format, as it stands. If that can't be done, then have the networks round robin the candidates (both Dems and Republicans) so that a manageable number are on the  stage at a time.

 Last night's debate was ridiculous! They kept going back to Clinton, Edwards, and Obama for follow-up comments etc, then eventually they would throw a bone to Gravel, Kucinich, Dodd, or Biden.  Richardson fell somewhere in the middle.

It was obvious that Mike and Dennis wanted to debate and kept challenging the others, and in Mikes case it didn't look good. He just looked sputteringly mad, and the comments almost required some explanation. I think that Kucinich played it better as it appeared that he realized he would be given less time, so he had deliberative, eloquent synopses of his positions to fire off. Mike should do the same in a calm demeanor.

That was a terrible debate. A number of chances were missed to bring up the FairTax, National Initiative for Democracy and Universal Health Care vouchers. Instead Mike just railed against the machine. Unless he can get on message this is over.

Sir,

I've only been able to download bits and pieces of the debate from last night over the internet. I'm still in Baghdad, and wasn't able to watch the entire thing, unfortunately. It seems from what I hear, that they tried to ignore you etc. We pretty much figured they would, right? Everything I have seen, continues to show me that you have the "goods" to deliver, Sir. This is GOING to be a tough race, no doubt. And I know that you know that. But it IS winnable. I have faith that you are continuing to refine your strategy to meet conditions as they arise. You have the experience, the intellect, and the LEADERSHIP qualities to win this. We stand behind, Sir, strong as ever.

From Iraq,

Eli

From what I observed, Mike needs to spend time on his message and not attacking the other people on the stage. People do not want someone for president who appears to be out of control. When Mike's on that stage, he should make believe he is at one of his talks and the question was asked by a person in the crowd. He needs to change his tactics or the American people will not take him seriously. He needs to make his answers as short and right to the point as possible. People have a short attention span. This si the biggest spot light he will have and he needs to take advantage of it. Do not bring your anger onto the stage. I t got you noticed the first time, but now it will only detract. Dean

ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMPLAINT TO CNN CAN DO SO BY GOING HERE: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?39

I Love Gravel... But he must break the rules.  They gave him only trifling issues to respond to -BUT he shoudn't have played along. He could have used those few moments to address the big issues. ONE OF WHICH was the unfairness of this debate. The candidates with millionaires to support them got all the time.  This was a lost opportunity. (Kucinich made more impact with his slightly larger timespots.)  Too much attacking other candidates- these moments should be about MIKE. He could make short jabs at the other candidates but then GIVE US HIS TRUTH!  He needs to plan short incendiary speeches and put them forth regardless of the question. (with only the flimsiest segue needed)  HE needS to GRANDSTAND with a publicity stunt approach to these tiny moments of HUGE EXPOSURE.  Next time you must PLAN, PLOT, AND SCHEME  to make the most of it!   Mike is the GREATEST CHANCE for this country.  Let us see it!

I watched the debate tonight and really liked what I saw from you Mike.  Unfortunately, it was very little.  They stuck you on the end and attempted to ignore you.  Don't let them do this to you!  Your honesty and candor is a breath of fresh air and beats the hell out of listening to front runners staging comments based on what their advisors tell them the people want to hear.  I wish you the best of luck and would really like to see you make it!

Hands down I think Gravel has got the content/ideas/ability/intellect that this country desperately needs, but tonight he is lacking the style/delivery of the likes of Clinton and Obama.  Gravel comes across somewhat "cowboy", which unfortunately detracts from the content of what he is saying.  Yes, his style is refreshing and true, but can it win an election?  Let's see some polish please!

I don't know if Gravel has been invited to the Faith and Politics thing that CNN is doing soon, but he SHOULD be there. Send letters to CNN complaining not only about the lack of time Gravel received during the debate tonight, but also demanding that he be placed on the Faith and Politics show along with Edwards, Obama, and Hillary who are the only ones mentioned to appear so far.

Gravel 08!

he answered the questions directly and in a well formulated manner, he was easy to follow through all his arguments (as was kucinich) as compared to edwards, obama, clinton, etc.... whom all seemed to be reciting talking points.  

The next debate is June 28th at Howard University in DC.

Gravel 08

Mike, you're not going to win this one by playing by the rules. Not when you're given less than a third of the time given to the other candidates. Not when you're seated back and to the left of everyone else. You're spinning your wheels attacking the other candidates, since they will never admit they are wrong, and you'll just come off negative.

You and Kucinich, Biden and Dodd should band together and stage something at the next debate. Something to make the headlines and the spin cycle. Something that will get people thinking about what's really going on. Maybe display something in protest together, promote a shared website with some common positions, pass around a contract pledging to do everything within your power to bring about withdrawal *this year*, or make a pact that whichever of you gets elected will bring all the others on board. Put your backs together and cut the alleged frontrunners down to size!

Someone here suggested that Mike awnser the questions that the other candidates were asked in the debate that he didn't get to awnser.. if he could get on a national show like TDS or TCR and awnser them then we would see a lot more traffic to this site.

Gotta give Barrack, Biden and Edwards some credit for borrowing their little "truth to power" outbursts from Mike Gravel. They would have almost pulled it off if they had meant it. I've got no doubt that they're changing their strategies in order to take advantage of the angry "fringe" voters that are now represented with record numbers. They look at Ron Paul or Gravel's surprising amount of support and decide that they would like a piece of that, too. Gravel EARNED his support and certainly deserves it. I'd certainly hate to see the increasing number of "fringe lunatic" voters, who are calling for honesty and accountability, believe that any of the substantially funded candidates would give truth in politics an honest go.

 

Biden's angry outbursts looked like a carefully measured mimic of Gravel's in the last debate.  Barrack's "truth to power" comment was definitely an attempt to pander to the growing "fringe" base.

 

Soon, we'll see this "fringe" be referred to properly as a growing "independent" base.  With people identifying even less to each party, it's a good time to be the "fringe" guy.  

 

This early in the debates, I think Gravel is doing fine by displaying his exasperation and anger with the government as it is today. However, I hope he transitions from the "angry man" into a calmer, more measured patriarch of the group. I think the timing is good to attempt that in the next debates. While everyone else is shifting gears to compete on how much saliva they can drip on the stage while ranting, Mike Gravel can come out as the guy who has a solution to that anger. If the candidates can claim anger about campaign financing, Iraq, and god knows what else, then Mike can present himself as the calm, wise, and patient patriarch that's already thought of a solution.

 

Looking forward to the next showing.