Like some of my fellow bloggers, I have received the e-mail notification about the Debates hosted by Tavis on PBS this Thursday- The All-American Presidential Forums. This event won't be perfect, as Jill Tubman from Jack & Jill Politics has pointed out. I personally don't care much for the idea that African American bloggers will not be more involved in presenting the questions. I hate the kind of forums where all of the questions, as well as "who" gets to ask the questions, are pre-determined.I admit, I didn't know about this event until recently (I have been busy with 10,000 other things). Perhaps we should have been afforded more time...and should have been allowed to register to participate in the actual questioning of these candidates. As it stands, it appears that Tavis and his colleagues will choose the questions (with his Covenant agenda in mind). Fare enough Tavis. I like Tavis a lot.... although I don't agree with his whole agenda. My message for Tavis and his co-hosts would be.... no Wiffle Ball questioning.
I'm already dissapointed with the whole setup... because I don't agree even with the concept of 2 Parties. Other Parties or candidates cannot emerge in the innately corrupt American system, because you have to be rich to be included. Now they are excluding us from the questioning of the candidates who have already been chosen for us. I don't see the "Democracy" in this system.
But despite all that... I hope that we can follow the event here. We can at least try to hold these folks who have been chosen for us accountable for what they say and for what they do. Although without viable third and fourth parties, it's awfully hard for us to establish any kind of leverage with these people (which is the heart of the matter... this is why the U.S. political system is going down the tubes).
Hopefully co-bloggers will follow the event....I will be working when the event airs.
Do we know which bloggers are going to attend?????
If video of the event is made available, I will post it here.
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11 comments:
Tavis afforded the opportunity for people to suggest their own questions. Months ago he discussed on Tom Joyner's radio show.
On the website he gives people a chance to submit their questions. http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/special/forums/
He will have the Republican Forum Sept 27th.
Thanks Symphony...
I don't listen to Tom Joyner's Show...so I wasn't sure about the particulars.
I am sure someone will cover the questions that I am concerned with. I just hope that the hosts don't let these candidates off the hook or behave like the White House Press Corps, by giving them weak & irrelevant questions.
They still get to choose the questions though (from a list).
What I was referring to was having US or members of the audience (not pre-chosen) ask questions at the event, directly to the candidates. More of a Town Hall style is what I was hoping for.
And risk someone looking like they are completely clueless ala George Bush in 1992 when a woman asked how he had been personally affected by the country's economic woes?
I have a feeling this debate (and the Republican one) is going to leave me angered. That we will really get to see, like we don't already know, how truly clueless politicians are about how black people feel, etc. You know, beyond the general talking points they pull out of their backsides such as: better education, crime, job opportunities.
How about the justice department (especially the shake up in the civil rights division). I want to know why we have this effort to destroy meth labs but when it comes to crack, they concentrate on the user.
Tavis is doing something with bloggers, although not in a way that would please many independent political bloggers. First, PBS is allowing bloggers into the event and issuing press credentials. The deadline for this, unfortunately, has passed and this wasn't announced widely to the blogosphere.
Another thing he is doing is he cut a deal with American Blog to exclusively provide Internet blogging support. Again, no opportunities to join up were announced widely.
I know Prometheus 6 is going to Tavis' debate.
Angry Independent, I heard the top 9 questions from those who wrote in, and 7 were very good, IMO. I only hope the person chosen to open the debate has an excellent question.
I hope soon that they will open it up for the questions for the Republicans.
http://www.mediabloggers.org/aggregator/categories/9
here's a listing of the "credentialed" blogger participants.
Republic of T was invited http://www.republicoft.com/2007/06/26/tavis-smiley-obama-me/
It looks like they tried to Cherry pick a few star bloggers...rather than choosing a broad cross section of good bloggers. But I expected nothing different. This is what the media elites always do. This is why blogs are important in the first place.
But we will comment on the debate anyway. I don't have to be at the event to comment.
http://www.mediabloggers.org/aggregator/categories/9
here's a listing of the "credentialed" blogger participants.
Thanks Denise...and also Bronze, Rikyrah & Lib Arts Dude.
It looks like you had to be an award recipient in order to gain approval from the Media Bloggers Association. I had a pretty bad experience with them (the "MBA") a couple of years ago. I attempted to join their little organization when I first started out, but was told I was not elite enough at the time. I told them that they could go straight to Hell basically. They are an elitist white group... which is reflected in how they choose people to "credential". Their aim is to gain favor with the big media (which is what they are doing here). That is a horrible group to have as a filter for these events. It's an especially bad filter for an event involving black bloggers... Black bloggers are excluded & marginalized enough as is.
Who in the hell are they to even know or decide who the good Black bloggers are? That organization knows little about Black bloggers... and I doubt if they even read Black blogs... (from the full spectrum of what is offered). Reading LaShawn Barber and Booker Rising does not make anyone an informed reader of Black blogs.
This is why I have called for a professional organization that will represent Black Bloggers. I have a vision for a Black Bloggers Association... that would be backed up by existing Black Media groups. But I don't have the money or other resources to turn that vision into reality. But if we could ever get that idea off the ground... we'd be able to tell the MBA to go to Hell. Why is a predominantly White group...that has little to do with the event, deciding which Black Bloggers are allowed in????
But like I mentioned... this is why blogs are so important. I have the same opportunity to comment on the event as those who are "credentialed".
Unfortunately, with all of the divisions among Black Bloggers... a Black Bloggers Association (which would establish certain standards) is probably an unworkable proposition. In reality, I have doubts that such a framework could be successful, considering what I have seen among Black Bloggers. But it is still a vision that I will keep in the back of my mind.
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