September 3, 2010
(Centennial) – As a candidate qualified for the ballot, it’s frustrating and discouraging to learn about the first gubernatorial debate in a newspaper article after it has taken place. I’ve requested other debate invitations and one chamber of commerce told me I have to provide a poll that shows I have a certain percentage of the vote to be included in the debate. This is the fundamental problem with our electoral process… putting the cart before the horse. The media and the debates are not designed to provide information for voters, they are designed to reduce voters’ choices while pretending to be informative.
A credible poll would list all the candidates who will appear on the ballot. A credible debate would invite all the candidates who will appear on the ballot. In politics, perception is reality. There’s no law that says this is a two party system. The reality is that through corporatism, the perception is that it is a two party system. The reason I’m running is to raise the level of the debate and inspire Republicans and Democrats to be better libertarians. But they and their corporate sponsors don’t want to raise the level of the debate. How can qualified candidates raise the level of the debate when they are shut out of the debate?
It’s particularly disappointing that Colorado Public Television was a co-sponsor of the first gubernatorial debate. CBS, the other co-sponsor, is entrenched in the two party corporatist system, so it’s not surprising that they hand pick the participants in order to receive special favors from them in the future. This type of “public” private partnership has manifested in every sector of the economy to the detriment of small business, the average citizen, and the principles of liberty that our form of government was founded on.
I am here to offer solutions to the plethora of problems created by these conditions. I shouldn’t have to fight to be included in polls or debates. Americans are going to have to make some hard decisions about what we want and decide if we really want to solve our problems and get back on track toward prosperity.
Bob Dylan once said that “toleration of the unacceptable leads to the last round-up”. We have tolerated the unacceptable for too long. All the transparency in the world isn’t worth a hill of beans without accountability.
America needs to stop talking and start walking. Colorado can lead the way if we are brave enough to elect leaders who are accountable and will put their constituents’ needs ahead of their corporate sponsors’ and political party’s desires.
In Liberty,
Jaimes Brown
Libertarian Candidate for Colorado Governor
JaimesBrown.com