Writing in The Hill, a DC-based political newspaper, Alexander Bolton updates on the debate over the debate.
Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute, chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), has scheduled a Democratic debate for September 23 in Detroit, to be aired by Fox News. Under pressure from Moveon.org and other lefty groups seeking to boycott Fox, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards have all announced that they won't be there.
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus on Capitol Hill, told The Hill that she supported the agreement with Fox: "First of all, all the networks have a certain bias." Speaking of Fox, Kilpatrick added, "It’s the largest cable network in America. They have over 70 million subscribers. I don’t think at this point we pull out. The question we have to answer is, Do we want to reach as many Americans as we can?”
Bolton adds that CBC leaders feel an obligation to Fox because it was the only news network that agreed to televise a black caucus-sponsored debate before the 2004 Democratic presidential primary. "The 'ask' was sent out to everyone," said Kilpatrick. "Four years ago, Fox was the only one that stepped up and they did a great job."
And the Michigan Congresswoman raises an interesting possibility: What would happen if the top-tier candidates don't show up, and some long-shot--such as, say, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, who is a cool guy--gets lots of airtime and takes off? Perhaps the Democratic political deck will be reshuffled.
If so, the CBC/FNC debate could prove to be a major milestone in the Democratic race for the '08 nomination. I wonder if that's what Moveon.org and the other lefties had in mind when they launched their blacklisting crusade against Fox.
