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Santorum, Huckabee to attend Trump event
The Hill ^ | January 28, 2016 | Ben Kamisar

Posted on 01/28/2016 10:58:41 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum will attend Donald Trump's pro-veterans event on Thursday at the same time as Fox News's prime-time presidential debate.

Spokesmen for both candidates confirmed to The Hill that the Republican presidential will still participate in Thursday's undercard GOP debate, but will head to the Trump event after.

The undercard debate begins at 7 p.m. Eastern, two hours before Trump's event is slated to start three miles away. That gives candidates who failed to reach the main stage the freedom to participate, while anyone slated for the main stage would have to skip the debate altogether to attend.

Huckabee said that he didn't speak with Trump directly about the plans, but that his staff had expressed interest in conversation with the Trump campaign. He added that he doesn't believe the decision to join Trump at the event sends a negative message to those candidates taking part in the main-stage debate.

"It's to honor the troops, it's not an endorsement of Donald Trump's candidacy. I'm still running for president, we've got the caucuses Monday night, but I'm delighted to join with Donald Trump in an effort to salute the veterans," Huckabee said Thursday on CNN's "Wolf."

"I'm not invited to the main stage, I would have loved to have been on that stage ... if they aren't sitting out in the audience watching me, I don't feel any compulsion that I have to be there for that debate.

Trump's campaign scheduled the event after he decided to pull out of Fox News's debate because the network issued a strongly worded statement in response to his calls to remove Megyn Kelly as a moderator.

His campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has said the event will raise funds for veterans organizations, but the campaign has not elaborated which ones will benefit.

Trump tweeted

Thursday morning that two campaigns had reached out with interest in joining his event, but he did not identify the candidates.

His decision to skip the debate has prompted criticism from his GOP rivals.

Ted Cruz, his closest challenger in recent polls, challenged him to a one-on-one debate this Saturday, and two Cruz-aligned super-PACs promised to donate $1.5 million to veterans organizations if Trump agreed.

The decision by both candidates to stand by Trump despite criticism from other candidates could be seen by supporters as a signal to support Trump.

Both Huckabee, the 2008 Iowa caucus winner, and Santorum, the 2012 caucus winner, have long histories with the state's evangelical population.

But they have seen those voters flee him in droves, mostly to Trump and Cruz, and both lag behind the majority of the field in fundraising.

While other rivals framed Trump's decision as fear to defend his record, Huckabee lauded Trump for manipulating the media during an interview this week on Fox's "Hannity" and jokingly asked

to take his spot on the main debate stage.

During the CNN interview, Huckabee said Trump would be on his vice presidential shortlist.

Huckabee also didn't argue with the assertion that he'd be more comfortable with Trump as the nominee than Cruz, and took the opportunity to criticize Cruz for cozying up to hedge-fund billionaires and for moderating his stances depending on the audience.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: debate; gopprimary; trump
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Well, I know of 2 people gunning for cabinet appointments.


121 posted on 01/28/2016 11:56:53 AM PST by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: St_Thomas_Aquinas

As Bill Mitchell pointed out, he shot Fox News, and nobody cared.


122 posted on 01/28/2016 11:56:56 AM PST by unsycophant
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To: The Iceman Cometh
I prefer an outsider first as we've gone down the road of lawyer/politician repeatedly and it's done nothing for us.

I respectfully suggest that the crappy situation we find ourselves in today has nothing to do with the professions of those we've elected, but rather the substance of their beliefs.

123 posted on 01/28/2016 11:58:29 AM PST by skeeter
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To: sparklite2

No, I want them to be able to work honestly to get support. Funding your own best friend (yourself) is not exactly the same.


124 posted on 01/28/2016 11:58:34 AM PST by livius
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To: Cobra64

I wasn’t posting to you, that’s why you don’t get it.


125 posted on 01/28/2016 11:59:23 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Red Steel

Check this out:

Lewandowski said 360 members of the media have been credentialed to cover the event. Not even presidents get this kind of media.

Lewandowski said the Trump campaign has received 4,000 RSVPs for tonight’s event. The theater in which it will be held holds 776 people, so the campaign is working to set up giant screens for an overflow viewing area outside. (Forecast temperature: 28 degrees, fairly balmy for Des Moines these days.) In addition, Lewandowski said 360 members of the media have been credentialed to cover the event.


126 posted on 01/28/2016 12:02:22 PM PST by GilGil
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

127 posted on 01/28/2016 12:03:08 PM PST by Theophilus (The GOPe are dealers. The Marxist Democrats are duelists.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Trump hasn't been part of the eGOP "scene" in DC and those that have spent their entire lives climbing the social ladder in the eGOP are scared they won't retain their positions if Trump wins. Period. THAT is why they oppose Trump.

"Don't look now, but while our best conservative is running a political campaign, Trump is leading a rebellion. Not as a liberal or a conservative politician, but as a successful red-blooded, can-do American capitalist.", Jim Robinson


128 posted on 01/28/2016 12:04:38 PM PST by CodeToad (Islam should be banned and treated as a criminal enterprise!)
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To: skeeter
but rather the substance of their beliefs.

Sadly, I've seen these violated repeatedly by these types of folks.

Sorry to paint Cruz with that brush but I've seen in his speeches and interviews that similar personality where I feel I'm gonna get sold out. Just a matter of time.

Still voting for him though if he's the guy. I have kids and am worried that their future is not as bright as it should be.

129 posted on 01/28/2016 12:04:41 PM PST by The Iceman Cometh (Trumpbots Vs. Cruznadians - the struggle is real.)
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To: GilGil

Set up outside heaters for the huge overflow crowd. They work great like we see at NFL games.


130 posted on 01/28/2016 12:05:36 PM PST by Red Steel (Ted Cruz: 'I'm a Big Fan of Donald Trump')
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To: Cboldt
This is a windfall for Cruz.

What Catholic or Evangelical wants to vote for Santrumpabee?

131 posted on 01/28/2016 12:06:15 PM PST by Theophilus (The GOPe are dealers. The Marxist Democrats are duelists.)
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To: navymom1
Ah, good point

Not only that, but with Trump not participating, I think that means for once he won't be sucking all the oxygen out of the room with respect to how the news cycle treats Cruz's performance.

So I think Cruz will actually get more post-debate coverage than he would if Trump were there.

132 posted on 01/28/2016 12:06:53 PM PST by Maceman
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To: unsycophant
Well, we don't know how many voters will be watching the Fox debate, but we do know of three actual candidates for President who won't.

That's... what 3 out of 10... I've lost count. Let's go with that.

Fox News! Where 30% of the candidates won't even watch our debate!

133 posted on 01/28/2016 12:07:15 PM PST by TontoKowalski (Satisfied Customer #291)
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To: livius

Funding yourself is called Free Speech.


134 posted on 01/28/2016 12:08:12 PM PST by sparklite2 ( "The white man is the Jew of Liberal Fascism." -Jonah Goldberg)
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To: 1Old Pro

FNC just made the entire debate the undercard.

The pundits will speak with their effete pontification but will have deer in the headlights looks (in the end we hope)


135 posted on 01/28/2016 12:08:41 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Theophilus
July 2015: Trump evades specifics on his draft deferment

[Trump spokesperson's only response.. was the more general campaign statement]

.. "Many years later, Mr. Trump was responsible for the building of the beautiful Vietnam War Memorial in lower Manhattan, for which he contributed a tremendous sum of money," that statement concludes. "He was also responsible for bringing back the New York City Memorial Day parade in 1995, after our military was embarrassed by the previous year's parade where almost nobody showed up. Mr. Trump's parade was one of the largest parades ever held. Today, he remains committed to helping and honoring all of our Veterans."

136 posted on 01/28/2016 12:08:58 PM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: The Iceman Cometh
Exactly why we should not be depending upon a politician to ride in and fix all of our problems. The best thing a politician can do is reduce the role government has in our lives so we can determine our own direction.

Its why all of the genuflecting and uncritical acceptance of what those vying for the top spot say strikes me as very very unfortunate.

137 posted on 01/28/2016 12:10:24 PM PST by skeeter
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To: skeeter
Exactly why we should not be depending upon a politician to ride in and fix all of our problems

Yep, return much of what D.C. is doing back to the states, return the land D.C. has stolen, shut down several of the departments, seal our borders and allow/foster free market fixes to our problems.

138 posted on 01/28/2016 12:13:53 PM PST by The Iceman Cometh (Trumpbots Vs. Cruznadians - the struggle is real.)
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To: livius

I think you’re missing the point that he’s spent the least... probably because it’s not sometime else’s money. Talk about spending, look at Jeb.


139 posted on 01/28/2016 12:18:39 PM PST by Suz in AZ
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To: TontoKowalski

#winner

Best point today!


140 posted on 01/28/2016 12:19:18 PM PST by unsycophant
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