Dennis talks about his campaign on Bill Moyers .. Raw Story

Kucinich tells Moyers 'I'm the Democrats' Democrat'

Mike Aivaz and Adam Doster Published: Saturday January 5, 2008 del.icio.us |
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Although Democratic presidential nominee Dennis Kucinich says he’s won a number of Internet polls in recent months, the Ohio Congressman was not invited to participate in Saturday night’s ABC debate in New Hampshire. On the PBS series Bill Moyers Journal, Kucinich discussed why he thinks the mainstream media isn’t paying attention to his campaign.

“I think that what's noteworthy is I think we have two cultures here,” he says. “One which is the emerging culture of information technology that's Internet-based. And the other one is the more conventional TV technology which is coming to a clash. And I think they reflect some political trends in this country that maybe aren't getting too much attention. But they are going to have an impact.”

Kucinich was so angered with ABC’s decision that he filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against ABC. While the network said Kucinich did not qualify for the debate because he didn't place in the top four in Iowa or poll higher than five percent in New Hampshire or nationally, he told Moyers the decision shouldn’t be left to the media.

“Whatever their criteria was, they have no right to make the decision for the people of New Hampshire prior to the election being held,” he said. “They have no right. As licensees, you know, the airwaves belong to the public, lest we forget. They don't belong to ABC. Disney, which owns ABC, has had executives contributing to some of the candidates in this race. It's a very serious matter here.”

Given his absence, the Congressman anticipated that Saturday night’s event would not be a serious debate because the other challengers are too ideologically aligned.

“Well, you know what, Bill? How can you have a debate if you don't have a voice that challenges all the others?” he says. “I mean, my position on the American political scene is to show people that there's a whole different direction that America can take here at home and in the world.”

Kucinich attributes his poor showing in Iowa to his lack of effort campaigning in the state. “I felt that my time would be better spent laying the groundwork for later primaries and caucuses,” he told Moyers.

The following video is from PBS's Bill Moyers Journal, broadcast on January 04, 2008