|
|
|
|||||
|
George, I was made aware of the American Candidate coming to town by the Center for Politics list serv. Initially the show's producers had planned to hold issue forums on gun control, gay marriage and abortion. I made a call to the Center for Politics and spoke with Joshua Scott who was serving as a liaison between the Center and the producers. Mr. Scott was very helpful and did a great job of explaining why the Center for Politics decided to participate in the American Candidate. He did his best to allay any fears I had about participating in a reality show and welcomed our participation. There was much internal discussion regarding whether or not we should participate at all. There is no need to rehash the various pros and cons, given the points that have been made by others on your website. From my perspective, I've learned that for many years, pro-choice groups chose not to engage anti-choice zealots in the media. Unfortunately, over time, these zealots have become more mainstream. When the issue forum on abortion was announced, the question became whether or not to participate in a discussion on abortion. Being absent not only meant a missed opportunity to dispel myths and fabrications about choice, but also a chance to get our message out. Granted it is a reality show, but if you haven't noticed, unfortunately lots of people are still watching reality shows today.  In the end, the producers wisely chose not to hold the forums. But I
went with a few PP supporters to
the debate on Sunday for the experience. We did not try to turn out
lots of people, nor did we campaign for anyone. We submitted questions and
hoped that one on choice would be raised during the debate, but the moderators/producers
chose to focus on other issues. However, I still don't regret giving up
a Sunday afternoon to check it out. Any attempt to engage more people (especially
young people and people of color) in the political process is a good thing.
It's something we should all work harder to achieve and I welcome anyone
else who has a better idea to bring it to Charlottesville first.
|
