Associated Press

NY1 stands by decision not to host Democratic Senate debate

8/15/2006, 8:28 p.m. ET
By BETH FOUHY

NEW YORK (AP) — An all-news cable television station is standing by its decision not to host a debate between Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and the anti-war activist challenging her in the state's Democratic primary.

NY1 has been criticized in recent weeks for refusing to include a Democratic Senate debate among its political offerings this summer. So far, NY1 has hosted debates involving the state's Democratic gubernatorial candidates and Republican Senate candidates. It will host a forum for the state's Democratic candidates for attorney general later this week.

But a debate between Clinton and Jonathan Tasini did not materialize because NY1 executives determined the cash-strapped Tasini cannot be considered a viable candidate.

Under rules set by NY1, candidates must meet three criteria to be invited to debate: They must have qualified for the ballot, have at least 5 percent support in the polls and have raised or spent at least $500,000 in their campaigns.
Tasini has met the first two criteria. He gathered 40,000 signatures to appear on the ballot, far more than the 15,000 required, and recent polls show him winning about 13 percent support among Democratic voters.

But he's raised only about $132,000 and spent $120,000 in the race.

Calls for NY1 to reconsider its fundraising criteria have grown louder since last week, when another anti-war candidate, Ned Lamont, knocked off Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary. Lamont, a multimillionaire businessman, spent at least $4 million for his race, mostly on ads criticizing Lieberman for his support for the Iraq war.

On Tuesday, the New York Post editorial page weighed in, saying NY1 should "cut Tasini a little slack."

"Traditionally, the test of seriousness in a statewide candidate in New York is successful completion of the grueling ballot access process. It ain't been easy, to put it mildly, but Tasini has made that grade," the paper wrote, adding that Clinton's stance on the Iraq war "could stand a little clarification."

But a senior vice president at NY1, Steve Paulus, said the station's criteria for debates were fair. He acknowledged the $500,000 threshold "seems like a lot of money" to many voters.

"There are 5.5 million registered Democrats in New York," Paulus said. "All Tasini would need is for one out of every 10 registered Democrats to send him a dollar. Right now, with the money he's raised, he does not represent the party he claims to represent."

Paulus said NY1 had given Tasini far more coverage than he'd received from other media outlets, including the New York Post.

Tasini points to his successful petition drive as evidence there is "tremendous support" among Democrats looking for an alternative to Clinton.

"Money raised is one issue, but there are other aspects of this," Tasini said. "Why don't people use that criteria to determine eligibility for a debate and not just money?"