MA: All Ballot Qualified Candidates Should be Included in Debates, Says Jill Stein, Green-Rainbow Candidate for Governor

A press release from the Jill Stein campaign for governor of Massachusetts, sent to IPR via email:

BOSTON – “Politicians shouldn’t be allowed to eliminate their competition by
pushing them off the debate stage” according to gubernatorial candidate Jill
Stein. Stein was responding to proposals from Deval Patrick and Charlie
Baker to organize debates that would be confined to the three men against
whom she is running.

“We can’t let the two candidates who bear major responsibility for the mess
we’re in restrict the debate to just their own voices.  If we do, we’ll hear
more excuses for failure and more proposals for staying on the same course
toward fiscal and environmental meltdown. ” said Stein.  “Voters deserve to
hear that there are alternatives that can put us on the right track.  Those
alternatives are never going to be discussed in a Baker/Patrick debate.”

Stein reiterated her campaign position that “All candidates that have
qualified for the ballot under the election laws of the Commonwealth should
be invited to participate in debates that use the public airways.  We also
think that fair treatment of all candidates is to be expected from the media
corporations that are taking advantage of the privileges our society accords
to journalistic enterprises.  Those privileges are based on an assumption
that journalists will contribute to the free and open dialogue that is
essential to a healthy democracy.  Journalists should refuse to be parties
to any attempt to restrict the flow of information that voters need and
deserve.”

On Tuesday, a consortium of nine media organizations invited Stein to
participate in two major televised debates, providing she met certain
criteria including raising $100,000 in campaign funds and achieving at least
a 5-per cent score in election polls.  Stein said that her campaign expected
to satisfy these criteria, but she did not agree that any candidate should
be excluded on the basis of such requirements.  “Polls shouldn’t be used to
decide whom voters get to hear.  Debates should drive the polls, not
vice-versa.”

Regarding polls, Stein noted that “Just because voters are leaning toward
one candidate doesn’t mean that they want to be kept in the dark about their
other choices.  Poll after poll shows that voters want to see all the
candidates having a free debate.  I’ve been talking to voters all over the
state and I can assure you that voters are not that enamored with Deval
Patrick and Charlie Baker. And they certainly don’t want to hear them go on
and on without letting the other candidates have a word.”