Eugene Platt worked around his exclusion from the only debate to be held in the SC1 special election by live-tweeting responses. Using the SC Green Party’s Twitter feed, he communicated brief and direct answers to the media.
On health care:
Platt supports single payer: controls costs and universal coverage. D&R plans fail on both. See pnhp.org
— SC Green Party (@SCGreenParty) April 30, 2013
On deepening Charleston Harbor:
In favor of deepening the harbor.That isn’t a universally agreed position in the party. But he supports as economic dev. @coreyhutchins
— SC Green Party (@SCGreenParty) April 30, 2013
On immigration:
Uninvited #SC1 Green Party candidate’s camp says U.S. must “renegotiate NAFTA & free trade agreements to promote local economies.”
— coreyhutchins (@CoreyHutchins) April 29, 2013
and
“Forced immigration in response to economic deprivation is a tragedy”- #SC1 Green Party Eugene Platt campaign’s response to immigration Q
— coreyhutchins (@CoreyHutchins) April 29, 2013
On abortion and reproductive rights:
Abortion question in SC1 debate: Decision is with a woman & her doctor. Reproductive services should be covered as… fb.me/OlS36ZgM
— SC Green Party (@SCGreenParty) April 30, 2013
On marriage equality:
Eugene is a strong believer in full equality for everyone regardless of who they love. He is proud to be in the… fb.me/23eZ0S4R1
— SC Green Party (@SCGreenParty) April 30, 2013
On election finance reform:
“Publicly financed elections, free air time, corporations are not people. End soft money donations”- uninvited Green Party #SC1 candidate
— coreyhutchins (@CoreyHutchins) April 29, 2013
On higher education:
“Student loan debt is at $1T,” says uninvited #SC1 Green Party candidate Eugene Platt on ed. “Its killing growth. Grants not loans.”
— coreyhutchins (@CoreyHutchins) April 29, 2013
and K-12:
“Repeal ‘No Child’ testing and teach for skills and trades,” Green party #SC1 candidate says.
— coreyhutchins (@CoreyHutchins) April 29, 2013
On fixing the budget:
Cut waste programs to fight Cold War: F-35, Littoral Ship, M-1 = nearly $1T. Invest infrastructure, create jobs boost spending, Platt says
— coreyhutchins (@CoreyHutchins) April 29, 2013
It’s ironic that in defending Patch’s decision to exclude Platt, debate organizer Shawn Drury quoted an article from an organization founded by Ralph Nader.
The article attacks the biased and corporate-controlled Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). But Drury misunderstood the article to justify his own biased decision.
Article: Two-party debates A Corporate-Funded, Party-Created Commission Decides Who Debates — and Who Stays Home
Link: http://www.publicintegrity.org/2008/09/18/3057/two-party-debates
After the 1992 performance of Ross Perot, the CPD was set up by the Republican and Democratic Parties with a board of directors made up primarily of committed partisans from each, specifically to take total control of the debates, choosing the locations, rules, moderators, and participating candidates.
The two major parties would rather not compete with ideas, but with partisan branding. Every year, public dissatisfaction with our politics grows worse. Every year, the guardians of political debate narrow the discussion even more.
Numerous comments have been made by concerned voters on articles relating to Platt’s exclusion, in effect calling for fairness and inclusion and calling the debate a farce, full of predictable stock responses and gotcha moments.
What else would have been discussed in the debate? With Eugene Platt in the debate we would have heard about the wasteful and dangerous federal subsidies of the MOX reactor in the Savannah River Site. We would have heard Platt advocate a non-interventionist foreign policy. We would have heard a genuine sustainable environmental point of view.
Check out http://voteplatt.com/issues/
VOTE PLATT MAY 7, 2013.
South Carolina Green Party 