Independent congressional candidate Abel Collins may have little chance of beating incumbent Jim Langevin. But then again, Mike Riley, the Republican candidate doesn’t have much of a chance either. So that can’t be the reason two of the TV networks – WPRI and WJAR – have decided to snub Collins from their CD2 debates.
Maybe it’s because Riley has the endorsement of one of the two major parties and Collins doesn’t. But that logic can be countered with the reality that Collins, a social and economic progressive, is far more in political step with the average Rhode Islander than is Riley, who is a far-right wing radical more akin to Ron Paul than John Chafee, so maybe that’s not it either.
The reality is TV stations owe their allegiance to ratings rather than democracy, and at the end of the day they are going to do whatever they need to in order to get the most amount of people to watch.
To that end, maybe a petition spreading around the internet imploring WPRI to allow their audience to see how Collins’ ideas stand up to Langevin’s and Riley’s.
According to a Phillipe and Jorge column this week that brought a ton of attention to the two TV networks blacklisting of Collins, they think WJAR will eventually invite Collins to their debate.
All three candidates are invited to both the Rhode Island Public Radio/ABC 6 and the WPRO debates.
Of course, I think Collins should be invited to all the debates. In fact, I’d like to see him and Riley one-on-one. I think that would show which one of these two Langevin challengers is the fringe outsider.
“who is a far-right wing radical more akin to Ron Paul”
A. He seems to espouse mainstream Republican viewpoints — pro-defense, platitudes towards fiscal sanity, tax and regulatory reform. That hardly fits the definition of “radical”.
B. That’s a humorously poor comparison because Ron Paul has far more in common with liberals and progressives than Michael Riley does.
I actually should have said Riley is pro-military spending; nobody is anti-defense
It’s been a while since I Googled the Daily Paul. I will say I won’t entirely disagree with J. Gardner’s assertion about Ron Paul but this quote from Jo Freeman’s essay on “The Tyranny of Structurelessness” is very relevant when it comes to right libertarian theory and really gets “right” to the point as to what its shortcomings are:
“”A “laissez faire” group is about as realistic as a “laissez faire” society; the idea becomes a smokescreen for the strong or the lucky to establish unquestioned hegemony over others.”
As far as Riley goes, I’d be more interested in what he had to say if he were more like Ron Paul than John Chafee, as much as I have to say his son has shown a lot of integrity with his vote against the monstrous Iraq debacle and his stand on the death penalty.
Of course, there is Ron’s Rand, just as there is John’s Lincoln, as well as Ted’s Patrick. Makes ya wonder if Rhode Island is really a Renaissance city state like Florence and I wonder about Kentucky.
But, anyway, I think I will sign the petition to get Abel into the debate. We need focus on issues. The binary two party system will have you seeing cross-eyed just about all the time.
While all three of us were invited to the League of Women Voters sponsored debate on ABC6/NPR, that debate which was scheduled for the 25th has been canceled. As it stands, I am being frozen out of the network televised debates. There may be one on public access, but I have not heard confirmation that Congressman Langevin and Michael Riley have agreed to appear.
This is an outrage that shows what happens when both parties work for corporations and not people. I doubt that News 12 was thinking about draw, they are thinking about protecting the 1%. From what I saw from Abel on the WJAR Sunday show, he seems to be forward thinking but practical, something that both parties could learn from. In terms of priorities, he seems in order.He should get a public hearing.
Aren’t there any women on this blog? Doesn’t anyone want a Pro-Choice candidate to consider when there is a real effort to pass fetal personhood laws to legislate away Roe V Wade? ABC6 Cancelled the League of Women Voters debate all together. Women can’t catch a break in the good ol boys world.
Now on the tangent Ron Paul question, legaiization of marijuana, audit the “Federal” Reserve, stop the war machine and internet spying, opposing NDAA, all good progressive causes. Gold Standard, austerity, racist and xenophobia all impossible to reconcile w progressive beliefs.
The extreme Neo-Cons like Ryan are a different breed, and hold a lot in common with the Neo-liberals who also want to conquer the world for corporations, one wants to bleed us drop by drop w a smiley face front, the other wants to hide in their castles while crush working people with debt. with s scowling front.
I signed the petition. He seems like the fresh perspective we need in a stale political scene. News 12 it totally wrong here, this looks like favoritism and election manipulation, and now that the good ol boy Supreme Court says corporations are people, someone should lock these fools up. If Collins isn’t in the debate, I am not watching. Hey, maybe that’s the plan.
“when both parties work for corporations and not people.”
I think this has much more to do with the existing 2 parties trying lock out anyone that could become a threat to their continued iron grip on power than it has to do with “corporations”.
With no polling data available anywhere that I can find, where does the idea that Abel Collins has little chance of winning come from? It seems like speculation to me. I’d love to see some data to back it up.
The fiction that all ideas are left or right/conservative or progressive is looking all the more made up these days. Each voter has a mixture of opinions, and I suspect that any voters that think they are on one side or the other are both consuming too much partisan radio and tv. Collins has a common sense plan to bring jobs back to this country and to Rhode Island. He has a very viable plan to prosecute the perpetrators of the economic meltdown and assure that such a thing doesn’t happen like that again. It is not a righty-lefty thing, it’s an obvious for-everyone plan.
The more money that is spent on this election, the less money means. People are sick of empty platitudes and negative attack ads. The voters in District 2 are luck enough to have a real alternativ and they are showing their support.
Not only is it a matter of justice for Abel Collins to be in the debate, it might boost the TV station ratings for the debate as Collins would add interest and another whole point of view.
Perhaps they are bothered by Abel’s embrace of the idea of reducing the influence of big money in politics, a lot of that money winds up in the TV stations.
Wow, Bob. Nice way to not understand the candidate that is Michael Riley. Fringe? As I continue to say, with comments like these it is no wonder this site has lost its pulse on even the Democratic base of Rhode Island.
Riley has the money and experience to run a credible campaign against Langevin. In fact, that’s what this alleged fringe candidate is doing right now. As for Collins being snubbed from the debates, there’s no need to put Riley down to puff up Collins’ chances against Langevin. Instead, why not fault the ‘man’ who only wants to see a two-party race and is ingorning an independent man. Why not talk about how Ken Block dominated the debates two years ago and Collins has pertinent opinions to voice?
Rather than the recycled, GOPer is a radical…yarrr yarrr…why not talk to both Langevin and Riley and see if they’d be willing to sign your petition?