Read the thing again, Folks. It's the SC Republican Party who laid down the criteria for invitations to this debate.
For those of you who either rushed through the article without reading the whole thing, were so angry after reading the headline you overlooked pertinent details, or are somehow incapable of processing information that doesn't match your preconceived notions, I'll cut and paste the invitation criteria again here:
Candidates who received invitations to participate in the debate have announced formal campaigns for president; filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and the South Carolina Republican Party to run for president; paid all candidate filing fees associated with their candidacy; met all U. S. constitutional requirements; and garnered at least 5% of the national electorate as determined by an average of the most recent national telephone polls of registered voters conducted by non-partisan public opinion polling organizations leading up to the registration deadline as determined by the South Carolina Republican Party and FOX News Channel; or, place in the top five in the New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary on January 8, 2008.
Running them down one at a time, in case you still didn't get it:
have announced formal campaigns for president: Hunter: Check
filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and the South Carolina Republican Party to run for president: Hunter: Check
paid all candidate filing fees associated with their candidacy Hunter: Check
met all U. S. constitutional requirements: Hunter: Check
Additionally, to get an invite candidates must meet at least one of the following two criteria:
garnered at least 5% of the national electorate as determined by an average of the most recent national telephone polls of registered voters conducted by non-partisan public opinion polling organizations leading up to the registration deadline as determined by the South Carolina Republican Party and FOX News Channel Hunter: Ch... d'oh!
place in the top five in the New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary on January 8, 2008 Hunter: Ch... d'oh again!
So while the righteous indignation is fun and invigorating, in reality, all your candidate had to do was either get past 5% in national polls or place in the top 5 in NH. He failed in both those criteria. If a candidate can do neither by this point, it's time to pack it in. He's a good guy, and I hope he runs again after working to get better name recognition. But he's done in 2008. No amount of clicking the heels on your ruby slippers or threatening to hold your breath until you turn blue will change that.
They could have just as easily added or had won delegates in previous primary. Which Hunter did in WY, placing 3rd. So it was tailored to exclude Hunter. Period.
I wonder if those rules were in place when Congressman Hunter paid his $35,000 to enter?
“all your candidate had to do was either get past 5% in national polls or place in the top 5 in NH”
And how is a candidate to do that when the Media WILL NOT even admit they’re in the race? Hunter was ahead of Huck & Paul for months in every poll and straw poll, but you wouldn’t have known it. He or Fred have NOT been mentioned getting the delegates in Wyoming. Not a word. Fred is the next to be axed by the media.
You all should be outraged that the media is picking our candidates. This is sick.
This election process is forever going to change ‘electability’. It will be too late by then. So you go on and on about preaching ‘reality’ to us and settle for your precious ‘frontrunners’ while we now should be assured that they are guaranteed to be ‘electable’ and we’ll see how that goes in a GENERAL ELECTION. Quite a different thing and the media are laughing at you and who knew conservatives would praise polls to high heaven and go to such desperate levels. But keep on keeping on celebrating Hunter’s demise. It’s really the GOP’s demise.