Editorial

Muñoz: WPRI should heed Governor McKee’s call for debate inclusion

“For Democracy and for the Democratic Party, I should be on the September 6th debate stage at Rhode Island College (my alma mater)…I’d like to thank Governor Daniel McKee for believing the same, and for taking a stand against political gatekeeping, and for upholding an important tenet of a democratic society, which is inclusion.”

Rhode Island News: Muñoz: WPRI should heed Governor McKee’s call for debate inclusion

September 2, 2022, 11:19 am

By Luis Daniel Munoz

“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” Ida B. Wells

It is 2022, and the number of working class Rhode Islanders, and candidates of color running for local, congressional, and statewide offices has been a light for the state of Rhode Island. As interests in change and grassroots momentum has grown, our collective light has stretched onto the institutions that have had the privilege of serving as mediums of democracy and civic engagement. Some truths that we have discovered are ugly. Bad institutional policies such as Nexstar/WPRI’s exclusionary debate criteria have ignited the hyperpolarization we face in our country today. Discretionary power by the local TV station and inconsistent application of its own exclusionary debate criteria has propped up insider candidates, with donor driven agendas, which perpetuate the same insider political system that gave us 38 Studios, UHIP, and Tidewater Landing.

WPRI/NexStar’s bad policy was designed to keep working class people out, and historically marginalized communities of color are disproportionately impacted by such policies. It is wrong, and it has already led to the unjust exclusion of Dr. Omar Bah (candidate for Congressional District 2). The bad policy now threatens me, and it threatens to disadvantage Rhode Island voters. It undermines the democratic principle of inclusion, and without inclusive spaces for democratic discourse, equity will never be reflected in practice. It also threatens to weaken our Party… as we aim to be a party of principle, courage, diversity, inclusion, and equity. 

The light of change has also been placed on my opponents, most of whom would pander to matters of inclusion and equity, but who will not stand for either. Two have held the titles of Secretary of State, and have claimed to value civic engagement, community service, and grassroots organizing… but they lie. They have been silent, indifferent, and self-centered for far too long… and they will govern in the same fashion. They will not be inclusive of youth and senior voices, or marginalized communities. They will not make the necessary sacrifices to do what is right by Rhode Islanders. They will focus on their own interests, and the interests of their large donors. Secretaries of State… Perhaps this is why our electoral processes have not progressed, as we continue to have extraordinary barriers to entry (e.g., nomination signatures). Perhaps this is why we do not have publicly financed campaigns, or caps on total fundraising amounts. 

We turned the light of truth onto an institution, and onto self-proclaimed community leaders, and they have all been found wanting… 

For Democracy and for the Democratic Party, I should be on the September 6th debate stage at Rhode Island College (my alma mater). I’d like to thank Governor Daniel McKee for believing the same, and for taking a stand against political gatekeeping, and for upholding an important tenet of a democratic society, which is inclusion.

This is what is necessary to build towards an equitable future. We will wrestle with the facts and let Rhode Islanders determine the victor.