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Posted on 10/19/2007 3:48:29 PM PDT by CounterCounterCulture
October 19, 2007
Des Moines, IA — In what he called "a major abuse of the electoral process," former Reagan administration diplomat and long-time national conservative activist Alan Keyes has been blocked by the Florida GOP from participating in Sunday's Fox News presidential debate in Orlando.
The Florida party used a 1% or better showing in polls from three of six polling firms as their criterion for inclusion in the event, even though none of the selected polling firms included Keyes, the latest entry in the presidential race, in any of their statewide surveys to date.
However, had Keyes been included in these polls, objective observers — including staff of some of the polling firms in question — agreed, based on past electoral performance in Florida, and on current polling that is taking place in other states, that he would have received a percentage meeting or exceeding the threshold.
In 2000, in the last contested GOP presidential primary, 32,354 — or nearly five percent — of Florida Republicans, and about one million voters nationwide, cast their vote for Keyes. He was included in the Values Voter Debate in Fort Lauderdale last month, after only three days in the race. In the post-debate straw poll, Keyes surpassed all the other candidates in the GOP field except Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.
The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll, the most-recognized media measure in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, was released during the time period in question, showing Keyes at 2% after only two weeks in the race, equaling or surpassing several long-time GOP candidates, all of whom received invitations to the Orlando debate.
When asked about his exclusion from Sunday's debate on the Adam McMannus radio program Wednesday, Ambassador Keyes said, "Rather than thinking about what they should be doing to make sure that voters are informed and able to get a clear idea of the choices available to them, [some party officials] are doing their best, I think, to make sure that articulation of the kind of conservatism that corresponds to what is on the heart and mind of most grassroots Republicans is not there."
In later comments, Keyes asked, "Why such an effort to assure that the so-called top-tier candidates don't have to face me? Do they fear me because they're not good enough for the job that needs to be done, or because they don't represent the conscience and heart of the Republican Party or of the American people?"
To register your opinion concerning Dr. Keyes' exclusion from this debate, call the Florida Republican Party and Chairman Jim Greer at 850-222-7920, send a fax to 850-681-2063, or email the party using the form at www.rpof.org/contact.php
You can learn more about Alan Keyes at www.AlanKeyes.com
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(I know you’re already aware)
The debates should start excluding the bottom dwellers: Paul, Tancredo, & Hunter.
The debate should include Giuliani, Thompson, Romney, McCain and Huckabee only.
Perhaps Keyes should move to Florida.
Can't just show up and claim a spot without doing the hard business of campaigning.
Good! :)
While I am somewhat sympathetic to your view on this, I have to say that these folks could all use a good does of Hunter right up to the primaries. He’s the best guy in the race even if he doesn’t have the name recognition or the votes to get him to the White House.
The more exposure he gets this time around, the better for the party in general. We need more voices like his, not to silence them.
Sorry to be so contrarian on that one point.
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Who died and made you the debate moderator?
Paul has more cash on hand & support than McCain and Huckabee. He has more money than even Romney if you don't count the money Romney has loaned to his campaign.
Paul is technically a front-runner and deserves just as much time as Fred and Rudy does. Hunter and Tancredo should remain too.
Hunter has my vote! You don’t have to apologize for supporting the best candidate.
Hunter has my vote! You don’t have to apologize for supporting the best candidate.
Hunter has my vote! You don’t have to apologize for supporting the best candidate.
I watch them for Hunter!
fixed
Didn’t Keyes picket a debate in 1996? Maybe he should do the same here. But Keyes wasn’t the only one left off the polling data I’m sure. Aren’t there other candidates seeking the nomination that weren’t on the poll list? Keyes should have entered the fray a few months earlier so he could have been included in the poll data and maybe he’d have been at the 1% threshold. Wasn’t he excluded from some other event earlier because he hadn’t entered the fray by a specified time. Seems everyone is out to get the Keyes fellar, poor thing.
fixed
ROFLMAO! Yeah. Right.
Some people can’t compete in the arena of ideas so they have to cut out candidates who threaten their little dog-n-pony show. Empty suits get away with more rhetoric when there aren’t those to challenge them.
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