ABC's Presidential Debate Disaster: Courage Campaign organizes Flag-Pin Protest in front of ABC/Disney HQ
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2008
CONTACT:
Rick Jacobs, Chair, Courage Campaign: 323-969-0160 office
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Courage Campaign, with support from MoveOn.org, CREDO Action, and several bloggers and grassroots groups across California are organizing a “flag-pin protest” from 4-7 p.m. today in front of ABC/Disney headquarters in Burbank.
Protest details are included below in the email sent out to Courage Campaign members in the Los Angeles area on Thursday night. MoveOn.org and CREDO Action also alerted their members in the L.A. area to the action, via email and text “8/08)
WHERE: ABC/Disney studios in Burbank, CA, in front of the West Alameda Gate, between S. Buena Vista and S. Keystone Streets (click here for a map)
——- ORIGINAL MESSAGE ——-
Dear friend,
Did you watch ABC’s prime-time character assassination of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton last night?
The day after this disastrous “debate,” Americans are shaking their heads in disbelief at what they witnessed, sarcastically speculating whether ABC News decided to launch an early roll-out of the Republican “swift boat” campaign. Editor & Publisher called it “perhaps the most embarrassing performance by the media in a major presidential debate in years.”
Our friends at MoveOn produced a short YouTube video on Wednesday’s travesty (watch it here) and described the most unbelievable moment:
“Moderators George Stephanopolous and Charlie Gibson spent the first 50 minutes obsessed with distractions that only political insiders care about—gaffes, polling numbers, the stale Rev. Wright story, and the old-news Bosnia story. And, channeling Karl Rove, directed a video question to Barack Obama asking if he loves the American flag or not. Seriously.”
It’s worse than that — the video question specifically asked Obama about his thoughtful reluctance to wear an American flag-pin lapel. Apparently, wearing a flag pin is a legitimate symbolic proxy for whether or not a person is patriotic enough to be President. Questions about global warming, the economy, and the war? Mere trivialities in ABC’s bizarro world.
Enough is enough. David Dayen, a netroots activist and friend of the Courage Campaign, called us a few hours ago with an idea. We’re moving on his inspiration right now:
Please join us at ABC/Disney’s headquarters in Burbank on FRIDAY to protest and pass out flag pins to ABC employees leaving their Disney corporate office. Your mission: Ask ABC/Disney employees whether they can pass their own flag-pin litmus test: “Are you patriotic enough to wear a flag-pin? Remember, you can’t be a patriot without a pin!”
We need to know how many people are coming, so watch MoveOn’s video and PLEASE RSVP NOW:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/FlagPinProtest
At 4 p.m. please join the Courage Campaign and your fellow activists at ABC’s Disney Studios in Burbank in front of the West Alameda Gate, between S. Buena Vista and S. Keystone Streets (click here for a map). We’re going to protest ABC’s debate disaster and ask their employees to pass the flag-pin litmus test until about 7 p.m.
This isn’t the first time the Courage Campaign has protested against ABC. Two years ago, ABC aired the “Path to 9/11” propaganda hit piece on Bill Clinton and we were there to correct the record.
Now, it’s time for us to let ABC know that wearing a flag pin isn’t patriotism. Patriotism means standing up for the values embedded in our Constitution — and speaking out when those values are endangered by the corporate media’s fascination with scandal over substance.
We’ve got the flag pins. Now, we just need you. Please join us to speak out against ABC/Disney’s appalling abuse of our public airwaves on Friday in Burbank, anytime from 4-7 p.m.:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/FlagPinProtest
Thank you for everything you are doing to make 2008 a new era for progressive politics in California. And America.
Rick Jacobs
Chair
P.S. It takes a community to put on and pay for a protest, organized virtually overnight. Please help us cover our costs, for everything from flag pins to signage, by donating $25 (or whatever you can afford) right now:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/contribute
Courage Campaign is an independent political committee and online organizing network empowering grassroots and netroots activists to build a progressive California. In 2008, the Courage Campaign will catalyze action to increase California’s importance in the race for the White House, hold our elected officials accountable, and block Blackwater from building a base on our border.
Rick Jacobs is the founder and chair of the Courage Campaign. He chaired Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in California. He is also the co-founder and chair of Brave New Films and a featured contributor to Arianna Huffington’s Huffingtonpost.com. Rick has a long background as an investor and senior executive. Rick Jacobs is available for interviews.
Paid for by the Courage Campaign