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Spun in the Spinroom: Behind the Schemes at the NYC Debate

By Chris Fara1

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I just pulled my lever for the only Democratic candidate who wouldn’t compromise my values. The decision was easy since Kucinich is the only person running who thinks everyone should have health care and that the Patriot and No Child Left Behind Acts should be put to the shredder. In my hood, which is oppressed by poverty and violence, chances are that by voting for Dennis, I was one of few who made a choice that could make a difference. And while there was a time when I would blame my ignorant neighbors for inaction, last Sunday’s debate helped me realize that it isn’t really their fault.

I was fortunate to get a press pass for the weekend festivities at CBS studios. The day began on West 57th street, where devoted Kucitizens and Sharptonites spent their morning confusing the hell out of local police officers who had to decide between harassing the incense-burning peaceniks or the African-Americans. Their reaction was fair enough, as they allowed the groups to chant and cheer so long as they stayed confined to their corrals. I happily bypassed the street scene as I waved my plastic badge around with a swagger that hasn’t been seen since Wayne’s World.

At 10:30 a.m. I was one of the last to arrive. The traveling press had already ransacked the corn muffins, so I got stuck with a bran job and some fruit. They waited with their pens drawn, as if they couldn’t just use their notes from Iowa, Michigan, or New Hampshire. Nobody was there to say anything new, but in the age of bad journalism, today’s mispronunciation could be tomorrow’s pseudo-event. As it turned out, Big Al had some one-liners saved for the hometown crowd, and Dennis was ready for action. It’s too bad the press was only there to cover Kerry and Edwards, or else they actually may have had a story on their pads.

An inside source told me that candidates’ seating positions were chosen by picking numbers out of a hat. Unfortunately, Kucinich drew the far right, where CBS cameras had no problem cutting him out of almost every shot. It was a bit tougher to avoid Sharpton - whose broad shoulders and big words were on camera in some way at almost all times. Lucky for pundits, the Johns pulled seats close enough to each other to make for some television-friendly, yet mind-numbingly boring, exchanges.

While the moderators made it clear that “around this table blessed are the brief,” John Edwards had no qualms about granting himself southern hospitality in every conversation. Whether it had to do with his dad’s mill or his millions, Edwards took every chance possible to press his fingers together at their tips and talk about South Carolina (while sitting in the core of the Big Apple). He still speaks of two Americas, and so long as he lives in one and I stay in the other, he should be happy. As for Mr. Kerry - he doesn’t seem to be as concerned about the discrepancies between him and his only competitor, probably because he knows they’re actually as similar as their first names.

Big John shrugs off his opponents’ attacks and comments with a “how cute” smile. Kerry doesn’t seem to have a problem with Kucinich being at the same table, but he still treats him like an younger brother being allowed by his older one to play an arcade game with no quarter in it. While trade drove the debate (an issue that took up almost three-quarters of the time) Kerry stuck to his funds and claimed that NAFTA could be worked out. When asked if he considered himself a liberal, he brushed off the question. He boldly went where so many men have gone before in opposing gay marriage, and even circumnavigated the ridiculous question “would you go to the wedding if your child was gay?” Yes - with less than ten minutes left of what would be the final Democratic debate, these frivolous reporters were still asking hypothetical questions.

Down in the Green Room the writers had a blast. There were laughs when Kerry boasted about Vietnam and when Sharpton lashed out at the cherry-picked reporters. The corrupt and robust Al actually got more applause than any of his competitors, but those claps didn’t equal more press. Chances are that most voters who missed the debate never heard the clips of Harlem’s finest accusing media whores like the Times’ Andrew Kirtzman of fixing the race. What they did hear were questions that don’t matter during the primaries (since people only have one vote) like “Do you John think that you would run with John if John got the nomination?”

A lot of things are hard to see. Kucinich may be short - but his bold and brutal insights on key issues should have set him apart from the rest. He’s the only one pitching the radical notion that America should stop making nukes along with the rest of the world - an idea, apparently, way over the heads of his terrified countrymen. Another thing you won’t hear in a clip from this past Sunday is anything about New York City, since there was barely a mention of it during the entire hour. The Republican convention is set to cruise into town any day, and the reporters didn’t take a moment to let our awesome foursome shoot at the right for entering lefty waters.

We should blame the media for the large numbers of people who voted for Kerry or Edwards, because these voters knew of no other options. I know I wouldn’t pull through for someone who I thought never reached out to me.

On the other hand, if you rode the “Dennis has no chance” cliché and supported one of the heartless politicos, then I think your family may suffer the wrath of your conscience (or lack thereof). Maybe in four years when your uncle loses his job to a Mexican, your mom can’t afford the treatment she needs, your daughter and her partner can’t get married, and your son is still in Iraq - then you’ll realize that you fucked up. Or, you’ll just put Kerry back in office for a second term.

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Chris FARA1 is a writer living in New York City.  He can be reached at [email protected].

© 2004 Me Three