This one goes up for Dennis. A CNN Presidential debate where he really shines.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. It didn't help at all that Kucinich was either ignored or dissed by the media

on a consistent basis. I was watching closely as a volunteer in his 2004 campaign.

During the series of debates, he typically got only 1/2 the face time of the other candidates.

The New York Times treated him as an afterthought in its series of articles on the Dem candidates' positions on various topics. The only extensive coverage it gave to him was a snarky--there's no other word--article that sounded as if it had been written by a spoiled teenager from a gated community, about how quaint DK was for being for peace and justice and fair trade.

Here in Minneapolis, we had to BEG for media coverage, and three out of four TV stations that sent cameras to one of his rallies (1600 attendees) didn't feature it on their newscasts: Instead they spent five minutes each talking about a scandal in which some small-town sheriff was having an affair with a deputy's wife.

Meanwhile, Edwards got a full article in the paper and TV coverage for speaking to 25 (count 'em, 25!) wealthy donors.

Involvement in that campaign made me extremely cynical about the whole political process. It's all rigged. The Big Money Boys decide who will not harm their interests and fund only those candidates and make sure that only those candidates receive any publicity.

After that and Kerry's hasty capitulation while Ohio people were still lined up at the polling places, I decided that I was done with presidential politics. If I work on a campaign again, it will be a local one where I can see what is happening and who is funding it.

My cynicism was confirmed in 2007 when the media were already speaking of Obama and H. Clinton as "the frontrunners" in the presidential race. This was before a single caucus or primary had been held. Obviously they were not talking about "the frontrunners" in terms of who the people liked. They were talking in terms of who was getting the most corporate cash.

I already knew that Obama was no leftist, and that it made no difference whatsoever whether he or H. Clinton won, because they were both in league with the corporations and would not do anything to rock the yachts.