Melissa Etheridge speaks out for Dennis Kucinich

Melissa Etheridge, speaking from California on Saturday, January 5th was asked what she thought of Dennis Kucinich being shut out of the ABC News/Facebook Democratic Debate this evening in New Hampshire, just days away from the primary election.

In a voice that rang clear as a bell she enunciated a list of her concerns about what is happening to this country's democracy. What struck this interviewer the most about her comments was how impassioned she was about how corporate control has shut out sincere political discourse. As she said, "The consequences of this action is we see infomercials rather than a debate. The system is infected and pressing down on those who are progressives. Look what they did in Iowa," she said when I asked her about Dennis Kucinich in New Hampshire.

"I have been reading definitions of fascism and the ways in which the corporations are excluding those who threaten their industries--health care, war machines--is a good definition of how fascism works.They don't want to let anyone who will jeopardize their interests gain any visibility. This is an important election, they will be manipulating us for their own ends. They have been at it for the last 8 years with the Bush administration." And then she added, "It was the Clinton administration that first opened the door to these corporate interests."

When asked why she thought everyone was asleep when it came to these issues, she provided another long analysis of how television has altered our sense of what is real and what is actual. She said, "If I hear one more person say that Dennis has good ideas but he is unelectable or that this country is not ready to elect a black man or a woman, I will scream. The sad part about these statements coming out of our television set is that people believe them. I don't want my country's future to depend on the comments about Dennis' height."

"As a cancer survivor, as an out lesbian, I am a firm believer in intentional survival. We can change the world and make things better."

But then her thoughts turned to the consequences of living in California where the feeling is live and let live. "We have a blue state with a Republican governor. We don't feel the same things you do out east. Our biggest fear is that by the time we get to vote, all the decisions will have been made for us."
That ended our talk and was truly her biggest fear: If the corporations are allowed to say who can and who cannot speak to us, then they are saying what kind of democracy we can or cannot have.

Comments

[everyonespeaks]

I think that what ABC has done to Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Duncan Hunter is pretty much an outrage, keeping them out of their televised debates. Corporate controlled media has no right to decide who the valid contenders are with ten months to go before the final elections. It is a network that is robbing Americans of our right to make an informed decision about who our leader should be. Any way you want to spin it, it's just wrong.

If anyone reading this would like to let the FCC and FEC know how you feel about this, myself and some concerned voters have created a form on our website that will make it easy to do so. Please visit www.everyonespeaks.com and let us know what you think of the place, or better yet, let the FCC know that what ABC has done is wrong.

--End of pitch. Sorry for the spam-like nature of this post, but we got this website up over the weekend, and if we can do any good whatsoever, I had to move quickly. Thanks and take care.

everyonespeaks.com

[disgustedcitizen]

Melissa is 100% correct. Corporate America controls the media and they only allow us to hear what they want us to hear. They belittle and ignore anyone who might be a threat to their "bottom line". Thank God, we have the internet, (for now), because the big corporation completely control all the other sources of information in this country.

[thinkbig]

I'd have more sympathy for him being shut out if he wasn't a 1 percenter. Now you can say that it's because the media ignore him, but the fact is that most liberals do too. If you look at this site, where I'm sure everyone is aware of Kucinich and what he stands for, very few say they would prefer him. The vast majority is Obama, Edwards, Richardson in that order. He was included early in the debates, he had his shot and he lost. I'm glad the debate got pared down because it allowed for something finally approaching a real 'debate', which is impossible with 10 candidates.

If you really need someone to blame for it if you must, blame the Obama/Edwards crowd. Kucinich stands for most of their positions, but more so, yet they pick the ones they'd rather have a beer with.

The only way the 1 percenters will ever have a shot is if people take off their lemming hats and vote their consience instead of their lizard brains.

For what it's worth, I'm a Biden person and my guy got hosed electorally too, but I'm not blaming the media for that either.

[realitytrumpsbull]

I think 'flying saucer guy' would make an awesome president, because if he's honest
enough to admit something that'd publicly discredit him like that, well, then he's honest
enough for me. Maybe, if he got elected, and
saw an opportunity for a 35% federal budget
cut, he'd report that, too. Kucinich told
people to pile on in support of Obama. I think
he threw in the towel too soon, and I'd still
like to see him consider co-signing with Paul
if Paul ends up falling out of the GOP race,
because both guys are 'constitution firsters',
and that's exactly what we need to be talking
about right now, not how many government
doughnuts people are going to be able to
grab. There's been too many decades of that
already. I'd support Obama, too, if he's
a true reformer, but no matter who gets elected,
be it Romney, be it Billary, be it Mickey Mouse,
whoever gets to sit in the Big Chair needs to,
in my view, push for some serious reforms,
the kind of stuff that'd see certain parties
piling into their limos to get to the airport
In A Big Hurry. A lot of people have been
tilled under in this Con Me, and it's just not
right that so much money has been torched off
to try and fix problems in other countries
when ours is showing its' seams so prominently.
May the best Candidate win, no Pandidates need
apply. Don't promise me money, promise me you'll
do your job etc...

[Mack20]

Please explain what makes Mellissa Ethridge an expert in politics?

[QueenCeleste]

Well said Melissa! Clearly he is the best candidate and the whole concept of unelectibility and wasted votes is distressing. I will proudly vote for him in the primary next month.

[mcthorogood]

How did corporations become so powerful, that they can decide who will be the next president?

The link below discusses "Corporate PersonHood"

http://www.greens.org/s-r/35/35-19.htm

If corporations were no longer considered persons and were not entitled to the 1st Amendment right of free speech, they could be prohibited from political activity.

[tililek]

Every point of view should be presented and I very much resent that ABC and CNN have decided what and who should be listened to.

During the primary season particularly it is important to hear what ideas might be around for us to think about.

Maybe I'll vote for one of the lesser known individuals - mainly to let whoever it that wins be aware that many of us have other ideas and that they are credible to large numbers of the electorite.

Who are the media to make our decisions for us - looking at the programs they give us, its sure they haven't a clue about much of anything.

[ShawnMichel]

Kucinich is honest, outspoken, and integral. He's authentic. This is a huge threat, the biggest possible one, actually, to the herd animals who both run the corporate-­government police state, and those who service it for a monthly paycheck.

(Points at the reader.)

[tompoe]

Everything in the article rings loud and true. But, it should be pointed out, that we can't even begin to discuss what was said. The bottom line is, there is a universal truth that has to be acknowledged, first. All proprietary electronic voting systems inherently, by definition, eliminate the voters' right to vote.

Australia proved that truth, and, in response required all electronic voting systems used in their country to contain free and open source software. Why? It is the only way to guarantee public scrutiny of the election process. It is the only way to ensure that the public can prevent a secret vote count. In the U.S., they require only proprietary electronic voting systems to be used, guaranteeing that our elections are subject to a secret vote count.

Stop this, and return our right to vote, and we can then discuss the rest of the issues covered in the article. Until then, know our votes will be manipulated by undetectable manipulation, with the counters proclaiming we must prove undetectable manipulation occurred, or else we have to accept their secret vote count.

[FearlessFreep]

When people dismiss Kucinich by pointing out that the press is ignoring him, they're blaming the victim (just like with Howard Dean).