The irony here is that many Black voters despise Fox, in particular its coverage of racial issues.

Why is Dennis Kucinich Undermining Progressives and African Americans and Embracing Fox News?
By Don Hazen 

Going against the grain of many progressive voters thought to be among his potential supporters, Cleveland area Congressman Dennis Kucinich has decided to join Delaware Senator Joe Biden as the only Democratic presidential candidates planning to attend a September debate that Fox News intend to hold in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus.

Kucinich said: “… for Sens. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama to skip the debate simply because it was to be broadcast on Fox was a snub of the Congressional Black Caucus.” He added: “Those candidates planning to skip this debate clearly are trying to avoid a forum where there will be hard-hitting questions from people who may not agree with them.”

James Rucker, head of the on-line group The Color of Change, who along with MoveOn and others has been leading the campaign challenging Fox News’ legitimacy as a news organization, responded, “If Congressman Kucinich actually paid any attention to what African-Americans are saying about the Fox debate, he’d know better than to accuse the leading candidates of snubbing black voters. Refusing to attend this debate isn’t about avoiding an unfriendly forum, it’s about refusing to lend further legitimacy to a network that regularly distorts the truth and attacks black leaders, institutions, culture, and black people in general.”

Rucker added: “If Kucinich wants to help legitimize a race-baiting propaganda network, that’s his business, but he shouldn’t claim black voters are on his side. Rather, this is a cynical political ploy to get press attention and airtime.”

In a press release from May 27th, Kucinich said, “This (boycott of the debate) is particularly troublesome because the concerns of African Americans should take precedent over what network is broadcasting the debate.” The irony here is that many Black voters despise Fox, namely its coverage of racial issues. Two videos produced by Brave New Films and Robert Greenwald have documented Fox’s attitudes about race and, particularly, candidate Barack Obama. These videos have been viewed by many hundreds of thousands of people on YouTube and sparked spirited debates.

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