Talk about a gatekeeper role! This "Commission", which sounds all kinds of official, is actually an illegal "non-profit" set up by the two main parties in 1987, taking the role away from the more open League of Women Voters. According to Wikipedia, its donors consist of six large donations (kept secret by current campaign laws). Greens and others have been moving a suit through the legal system challenging CPD's non-profit IRS status, which forbids partisanship. It allows political education"provided the activities specifically do not "[favor] a candidate or group of candidates" (IRS), which their rules plainly do by setting limits unobtainable without lots of money or the kind of exposure offered by these debates. Clearly, the debates need to be more open. But how to do that without turning it in to the kind of circus that produced a Trump candidacy out of a crowded Republican field? (Although I'm still not sure the best possible decision wasn't made; Rubio? Cruz? Christie??). But that's for another conversation. Trump is a symptom of an electorate very angry at the politics as usual that has been ruled by the "military-industrial complex" since the early days of the republic. Politics is about limiting and defining the opposition. Keeping majority control in the fewest hands is the corporate game. How do we end this? Don -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Disqualify the CPD – Update on "Commission on Presidential Debates: Include All Qualified Candidates in 2016 Presidential Debates" Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2016 09:24:57 -0600 From: Open The Debates! <mail@change.org> Reply-To: Change.org <no-reply@change.org> To: done7777@sbcglobal.net <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=0e4f0828eb074ca95579c543be620b07844124e243d439ac1b66076d5a456ec3a8a45c4145903706> Petition update *Open The Debates!* just posted an update on the petition you signed, Commission on Presidential Debates: Include All Qualified Candidates in 2016 Presidential Debates <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=208f9d7d78be179a1b45c7ad776563fadb812046a8c611657998be33404f0ad1cdb7e5a87ab64424>. Disqualify the CPD <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=208f9d7d78be179ac4ddb53a437ce31a42e506672418ff8d7ab44c9a24740a9fd07c61f4630d2c55> Oct 15, 2016 — The Commission on (Rigged) Presidential Debates has now officially disqualified third party candidates Governor Gary Johnson and Dr. Jill Stein from their third and final debate on October 19. Now it's time for us to disqualify the CPD as the gatekeeper to our selection process for President of the United States. In an election where the two major party (duopoly) candidates are the most... Read more <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=208f9d7d78be179ac4ddb53a437ce31a42e506672418ff8d7ab44c9a24740a9fd07c61f4630d2c55> Share this update with friends Share <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=208f9d7d78be179ae0e64eb5b461b033b8150577e87e0f7fde2264126de527d7032baed832413486> Tweet <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=208f9d7d78be179a9cbdae8eb5bcc8ea6515a8cb4f6796e1d821e07d44f1537ffe66e25769117eaf> Help more people see this petition on Change.org Promote this petition <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=208f9d7d78be179a2c3b140c876a228f028a03725399b5321cc3fc9e4ccb3c6c5799bfc85736697a> Want to change something? Start a petition <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=4476734090ab73c63bc1279b9df9c5c6481c9b1bf4d04ffed4bb47bb4671dc794332850884c62dee> *The person (or organization) who started this petition is not affiliated with Change.org. Change.org did not create this petition and is not responsible for the petition content. * This email was sent by Change.org <#> to done7777@sbcglobal.net. To stop news updates from this petition, you may unsubscribe here <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=4476734090ab73c6589839f4779811602856230cfa5ef43668d4ab2f142861c0c660f49ba1a79faa>. Contact us <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=56696b60e0ba2678e93d449dffed9fb95490cefac8314f82f8cee00734cd86ca426b46fad90e7608>   ·   Privacy policy <http://click.exacttarget.change.org/?qs=4476734090ab73c6b7981a4fb6ca62739bccc52470c6c795a7370c906eed45919f167073cbf884c1> © 2015 Change​.org · 548 Market St #29993 · San Francisco, CA 94104-5401 · USA