Kucinich Left Out Of Iowa Presidential Debate

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Dennis Kucinich

(AP)

Dennis Kucinich has been excluded from Thursday's Democratic debate.

In a press release, the Kucinich campaign fumed: "The highest polling Democratic Presidential candidate among the Party's progressive, grassroots, activist base, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, has been excluded from the Des Moines Register-sponsored Presidential debate here on Thursday because his Iowa field director operates from a home office rather than a rented storefront."

In a statement included in the Kucinich release, the Register said it "was our determination that a person working out of his home did not meet our criteria for a campaign office and full-time paid staff in Iowa." The person they are referring to is Kucinich Iowa Field Director and State Coordinator Marcos Rubinstein, "who coordinates campaign activities from his home office in Dubuque, bolstered by a dozen-or-so other senior campaign staff who have traveled the state over the past several months," according to the Kucinich campaign.

In the latest Register poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa, Kucinich came in at 1 percent support, the same as Chris Dodd. In the most recent CBS News/New York Times poll of Democrats nationally, Kucinich had 2 percent support – more than Dodd and the same as Bill Richardson and Joe Biden. Dodd, Richardson and Biden were all invited to Thursday's debate.

Interestingly, the Register is including Alan Keyes in it's Republican debate today, despite the fact that he has little support and has been left out of most debates thus far.

The Kucinich campaign calls the exclusion "arbitrary and unreasonable."

"The Iowa caucuses have been portrayed as having national implications, and if the Register has decided to use hair-splitting technicalities to exclude the leading voice of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, then the entire process is suspect," it said in the release.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by ins_tease December 14, 2007 1:17 AM EST: To vote for either a front runner Republican or a front runner Democrat will only result in the American people running for their lives. Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate running that did not vote to go to was, and has never voted to fund it. All of the Democratic front runners now say they are against the war, despite the fact that they ALL voted for it. They will no doubt also vote to continue funding it. These same people also now say that they are against the Patriot Act, despite the fact that they voted for it. The Republicans are largly in favor of the war still. Only a vote for Kucinich will make any kind of difference in America. For more information on Dennis Kucinich go to the Act Now page at www.InsuranceTease.com.; Reply to this comment


by do_cettejm December 13, 2007 11:14 PM EST: What a bunch of typical media ***. The only reason I even attempted to watch was to see Dennis. Alas, it ended up being a good afternoon for snowmobiling. Where even IS Iowa anyway?; Reply to this comment


by do_cettejm December 13, 2007 11:13 PM EST: What a bunch of typical media ***. The only reason I even attempted to watch was to see Dennis. Alas, it ended up being a good afternoon for snowmobiling. Where even IS Iowa anyway?; Reply to this comment


by do_cettejm December 13, 2007 11:11 PM EST: What a bunch of typical media ***. The only reason I even attempted to watch was to see Dennis. Alas, it ended up being a good afternoon for snowmobiling. Where even IS Iowa anyway?; Reply to this comment


by do_cettejm December 13, 2007 11:10 PM EST: What a bunch of typical media ***. The only reason I even attempted to watch was to see Dennis. Alas, it ended up being a good afternoon for snowmobiling. Where even IS Iowa anyway?; Reply to this comment


by do_cettejm December 13, 2007 11:09 PM EST: What a bunch of typical media ***. The only reason I even attempted to watch was to see Dennis. Alas, it ended up being a good afternoon for snowmobiling. Where even IS Iowa anyway?; Reply to this comment


by do_cettejm December 13, 2007 11:08 PM EST: What a bunch of typical media ***. The only reason I even attempted to watch was to see Dennis. Alas, it ended up being a good afternoon for snowmobiling. Where even IS Iowa anyway?; Reply to this comment


by sunovia5 December 13, 2007 6:28 PM EST: Laura Hollingsworth is the President and Publisher of the Des Moines Register, who is putting on the debate. CALL HER about this. Her private line is (515) 284-8041.

I stopped in at the Des Moines Register''s office today to lodge a complaint in person. I didn''t get to speak to anyone on the editorial staff, but the security guard did phone one of the executive assistants for me and let her know what I was there for.; Reply to this comment


by dreyfoos1 December 13, 2007 6:01 PM EST: Without Kucinich, I tuned out - just another stacked debate.
Perhaps if Dennis Kucinich were to show up on stilts then the Des Moines Register would see how he towers over the rest of the field. Shame on the Des Moines Register.; Reply to this comment


by actiscenei December 13, 2007 3:06 PM EST: Welcome to Iowa, home of the lop-sided, I-can''t-properly-justify-anything state. Enjoy your visit!; Reply to this comment