Rally Against the First Presidential Debate and Alternative Debate 2000! (Distribute Widely)

kelley kwalker2 at gte.net
Sat Sep 16 11:25:05 PDT 2000


The October 3rd Task Force to Expand the Debate is organizing a rally and demonstration outside of the University of Massachusetts-Boston to protest against the first Presidential Debate. In addition to this expression of dissent and dissatisfaction with the two-party monopoly of the debates and the electoral system, we are organizing Alternative Debate 2000, to be held at UMass Boston on October 2, the day before the "official" debate. The alternative debate committee has invited the presidential candidates from the top eleven national campaigns in order to give voice to those candidates and issues which will be otherwise excluded, both from the debates and mainstream media coverage.

If your organization wants to endorse the legal Rally or the Alternative debate, go to:

http://www.expandthedebate.org/endorse.html

... and fill out the endorsement form there.

We need your support!

For more information, go to: www.expandthedebate.org

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Boston's October 3rd Task Force is a coalition of organizations

opposed to the stranglehold of the Democratic and Republican parties,

in partnership with major corporations, on political discourse in this

country.

Masquerading as neutral forums for the presentation of the full

spectrum of popular political ideas, the presidential debates

scheduled for this fall conspicuously derive their sponsorship and

direction from a handful of politically interested corporations, as

well as representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

We ask how these events, so clearly devoid of any popular involvement,

can be considered by any as indicative of a real democratic process.

The members of the October 3rd Task Force find strength in the many

viewpoints we bring to the table, and unity in our mission: we are

calling for an open and real debate - a debate open to a diversity of

issues, candidates, and ideas, and to the scrutiny and participation

of all Americans. We stand firm in our resolve to bring this message

to the forefront of public discourse, and committed in our goal to

educate and organize around this message people of all political,

racial, sexual orientation, gender identifcation and economic

backgrounds.

Real democracy cannot exist in the presence of corporate control. Real

democracy cannot exist without real debate.



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