Winnowing the Debate Field (Ron Paul out. Biden, Dodd, Richardson, DK may be out)

[jefferson_dem]

Winnowing the Debate Field
By Michael Falcone and Sarah Wheaton

The debate stage, it seems, will be getting a little roomier. Invitations to participate are getting harder to come by in 2008.

Both Fox News and ABC News, which are sponsoring debates next weekend in New Hampshire, are restricting who can attend.

Fox has invited five of the Republican candidates to a televised forum in Manchester on Sunday, but not Representative Ron Paul of Texas, right, who has placed fourth in some recent New Hampshire polls, or Representative Duncan Hunter of California.

Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Mr. Paul, called the decision a “head scratcher,” and said he had been unable to get an explanation from the network. Calls and e-mail messages to Fox News Channel were not returned.

The New Hampshire Republican Party, which is helping Fox organize the debate, is disappointed.

“Limiting the number of candidates who are invited to participate in debates is not consistent with the tradition of the first-in-the-nation primary,” Fergus Cullen, the party chairman, said in a statement on Monday.

Mr. Cullen also joined the New Hampshire Democratic Party in objecting to criteria for participation in back-to-back debates on Saturday on ABC News. The network says it will include only candidates who finish in the top four in the Iowa caucuses or receive at least 5 percent in New Hampshire or national polls.

The criteria could potentially sideline several of the Democrats, including Senators Christopher J. Dodd and Joseph R. Biden Jr.

David Chalian, the ABC News political director, said that the network was seeking to provide the “best conversation and debate between the candidates who really have a chance to become the nominee.”

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/31/winnowing-the-field/

[boobooday]

1. Outrageous

Absolutely, completely anti-democratic. Both parties should refuse to participate under these conditions.

Why do corporations get to set the terms of political discourse?

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Jennifer C]

2. Exactly

It's fucking disgusting :thumbsdown:

[question everything]

6. Second that

How come the MSM is telling the voters who should address them?

First, it was the Des Moines Register extorting Kucinich for not spending enough money in Iowa - but accepting Alan Keyes - and now Fox and ABC.

Where is Ronald Reagan - "I am paying for this microphone" - when we need him?

(And I cannot believe that I am actually saying something positive about him, except applauding him for brining Alzheimer's to the forefront. If this were summer I would be stuck by lightening..)

Did any of our candidates say anything about that?

[robbedvoter]

3. Yet, when they only excluded Gravel, very few gave a damn...

[boobooday]

4. Well I did

I loved him, and his pissed off energy. I felt he spoke for many.

[jillan]

8. I gave a damn.

Gravel brought so much to the debates.

[LWolf]

5. This viewer will be "out," too. n/t

[NightWatcher]

7. do THEY even need US to vote? I'm thinking no.

wake me up when it's over....

[Desertrose]

9. So how much do our votes even count again?

"David Chalian, the ABC News political director, said that the network was seeking to provide the “best conversation and debate between the candidates who really have a chance to become the nominee.”



Seems like all we have to do is let the fr*kkin media tell us who won....save all that time & energy for voting and we could use it to pay off our health insurance or something.


They throw the word "democracy" around like it means something anymore.

:grr: