New Hampshire GOP Pulls Support For FOX Debate

[Moby]

So he got 10% in Iowa but he's still not speaking the preprogrammed party line.

http://www.kcrg.com/explorepolitics/?feed=bim&id=13287342
Story Created: Jan 5, 2008
Story Updated: Jan 5, 2008

The New Hampshire Republican Party announced Saturday that it will no longer support a Republican candidate’s forum scheduled for Sunday on FOX.

Party officials decided to withdraw as co-sponsers after candidates California Rep. Duncan Hunter and Texas Rep. Ron Paulwere left uninvited.

Hunter posted only tiny percentage in Iowa disqualifying him under the criteria set by FOX, but remains in the race.

Having never received an initial invitation, Paul’s capture of 10% in Iowa Thursday, still did not convince organizers to allow his participation.

New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen released a statement Saturday making the separation official.

“The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary serves a national purpose by giving all candidates an equal opportunity on a level playing field. Only in New Hampshire do lesser known, lesser funded underdogs have a fighting chance to establish themselves as national figures. Consistent with that tradition, we believe all recognized major candidates should have an equal opportunity to participate in pre-primary debates and forums,” wrote Cullen.

“This principle applies to tonight’s debates on ABC as well as Sunday’s planned forum on FOX. The New Hampshire Republican Party believes Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in the FOX forum on Sunday evening. Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed,” he continued.

“While we understand that FOX News continues to move forward it is with regret, the New Hampshire Republican Party hereby withdraws as a partner in this forum.”

[disrupter]

Duncan Hunter?
don't you have to draw a line somewhere?

Ron Paul actually articulates an alternate perspective.

Does inclusion of Duncan Hunter do anything other than add another 'me too' Republican?

What should the criteria be?
anyone on the ballot?
anyone on an established parties side of the ballot?
i hope not money.
a sufficient show in polling? if so how does anyone original even get considered?

[Independent Harry]

So in effect, what does this do to fox?

[Little Red Dog]

I'm not sure. But I have to give the NH GOP props for their stance. They're absolutely right.

[Little Red Dog]

Duncan Hunter?
don't you have to draw a line somewhere?

Ron Paul actually articulates an alternate perspective.

Does inclusion of Duncan Hunter do anything other than add another 'me too' Republican?

What should the criteria be?
anyone on the ballot?
anyone on an established parties side of the ballot?
i hope not money.
a sufficient show in polling? if so how does anyone original even get considered?

If you're on the ballot, you should be in the debate. To me, it's really that simple.

Sure, you'll get me-too's. But isn't that the whole point of the democratic electoral process? That (in theory) anyone can run?

I say, let 'em clutter the stage. We have at least 6 months for them to fall by the wayside.

[Moby]

So in effect, what does this do to fox?
Nothing really. It just makes it far more obvious that they are the neocon mouth peace at least 97% of the time.

[disrupter]

You should know there are a whole raft of candidates, that for $100.00 USD have their names on the New Hampshire ballot.

I'm not saying that is bad,
but my guess is without some filtering we really might have unrecoverable chaos.

I guess it is time to find some kind of theory about candidate selection.
I still like a random draft of x number of people, & people vote on them.
Citizen public servants, the professionals haven't done us very much good at all.

[Little Red Dog]

Yeah, but to be considered in the GOP for general nomination, they gotta come up with $35,000 to run. Cuts the field down a bit.

Hunter and Paul both coughed up the $35,000