[Peace-discuss] what if third parties in C-U collaborated on a public event?

[Walter Pituc]

I think this public forum is a good idea. I would prefer though that any
public forum be billed as a forum for "X district or race" that includes all
candidates rather than it being known as the "third party" forum. Third
party candidates that are on the ballot are regularly shut out of debates,
forums, etc. At least that's what I've found at the state and national
level.

But I think that this is a good idea nonetheless, open discussion is always
a good idea! Exclusion from the political discourse is not. I could see the
League of Women Voters or some non-partisan group hosting a forum.

As I recall, the Univ. student group, I-Vote, organizes a yearly forum with
a representative from the College Democrats, College Republicans, and Campus
Greens on campus - I would like to see something at the community level too!

-Walter

On Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 1:41 PM, Robert Naiman <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com> wrote:

> it would be interesting (to me, at least) if there were efforts to
> channel whatever energy exists in C-U for third parties between now
> and the November elections into some kind of productive activity.
>
> what if the Greens, the Libertarians, and the Nader supporters
> organized a public forum, at which representatives of the candidates
> articulated their differences with the two major parties' candidates
> (and each other, if they differ) on issues facing the country: foreign
> policy, energy policy, civil liberties, etc. representatives of the
> major parties could be invited to attend and advocate their positions.
> there might be some press interest. It seems to me that these groups
> have a common interest in trying to project their views to the public,
> and they should collaborate in their efforts to do so.
>
> arguably, such groups operating in illinois have a window between now
> and November in which they could advance their views without being
> completely absorbed by the usual arguments about spoiling, etc. there
> is no reasonable doubt that obama will win illinois. the presidential
> campaigns will not spend any meaningful resources here. the field is
> open.
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