Shamed Into Doing the Right Thing

The Republicans and Democrats conspired to exclude Libertarian candidate Kenn Gividen from the second televised gubernatorial debate after including him in the first. The idea, no doubt, was to crowd out interesting, fresh ideas to Indiana's problems.

This strategy backfired on them. The Libertarian publicity machine was underestimated. The message was simple: dignify the deomcratic process and included Gividen, for the benefit of the people of Indiana and for the LP. Press releases went out, letters went to the editors of newspapers across the state, and talk radio stations were flooded with calls. Calls went to the hosting university and TV stations, along with the HQs of the Daniels and Kernan campaigns. Had the debate included Gividen from the beginning, he would have appeared and that would have been that. Instead, the exclusion of Kenn Gividen was the story of the day. The LP was the sympathetic character, and the Democrats and Republicans the evil conspirators. The LP got a huge publicity bump that they couldn't have purchased.

LP Executive Director Brad Klopfenstein quickly called for a press conference for Noon today, to be held on the Monument downtown. It was well attended, adding to the sympathetic publicity.

Quickly, the two other camps have caved to the pressure. Gividen will be included after all. First Indy Star story.

Observe the nonsense Kernan and Daniels wring hands over- risers to make the two men appear as tall as Gividen. Pathetic.