This 1960 presidential debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon was the first to be televised.
Malcolm X said this about the media:
“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
The statement is bold, and perhaps gives the media more credit than it’s due, but there is large truth to the statement. The media is powerful. Whether it’s because we (the people) have empowered it, or because it empowers itself, the media drives the public discourse and influences our thinking.
With respect to presidential politics, I would argue that since airing its first presidential debate in 1960, the media has been the de facto great leveler of the field. The televised debates became the forum wherein presidential candidates could stake their claims on issues and impart their lofty ideals on a level field.
In theory, there was no competition for air time, media buys, etc. It was the one place where all candidates had the access and opportunity to discourse and speak their minds, regardless of how much money their campaigns had actually raised. That’s significant.
Well, CNN just changed all that.
Sarah Lenti
Johnson excluded from debate
Yes, CNN just changed all that, and should be ashamed. Since when does the media get to decide who is a credible presidential candidate and who is not? To be specific, CNN consciously excluded former N.M. Gov. Gary Johnson from the June 13 CNN-sponsored debate in New Hampshire. That’s quite an unacceptable smooth move.
Let’s get this straight. CNN invited Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels – all of whom have announced that they are not running. CNN invited Rep. Michelle Bachmann, former Gov. Sarah Palin, former Ambassador Jon Huntsman, and Rudy Guliani – none of whom have yet to announce. CNN invited former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich – all of whom have made their candidacies official.
So, then we have Gary Johnson, who has also made his candidacy official (in New Hampshire, ironically, where CNN is locking him out). What is more, Gary Johnson has already paid the $25,000 fee to get on the primary ballot in South Carolina. Gary Johnson is committed to running; he’s not clowning around or flirting with media tours. Yet CNN would like for American voters to believe that he is not a serious candidate.
This is just completely wrong. Regardless of who your chosen candidate is, I think we can agree that anyone who is making a serious run at this grueling process – and is not a felon – should have the same platform as, at least, those other candidates who have announced. It’s just common sense.
The media has hit a new low by attempting to make decisions for us.
Sarah Lenti is the blogger behind NMPolitics.net’s The Savvy. E-mail her at sarah@nmpolitics.net. For full disclosure, Lenti is a Republican strategist who worked closely with GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s former PAC.