Zydeco
08-09-2007, 10:55 PM
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/08/its_time_for_them_to_go.html
This article has to be read to be believed.
Heretofore respected political commentator Stuart Rothenberg writes, in an article entitled "It's Time for Them to Go":
In other words, it's time for them - Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Dennis Kucinch and Mike Gravel - to go. Go to Iowa. Go to New Hampshire. Go somewhere. But get them off the stage with the credible candidates.
I'm not saying that it's time to winnow the debate fields down to the top tier candidates on either side. No, I wouldn't exclude Senators McCain, Brownback, Biden and Dodd or former Governor Huckabee. True, they are long-shots in the Presidential race, but there is a huge difference between them and the group above that I mentioned - the no shots.
The long shots have raised money, put together experienced campaign teams and have at least some chance of being nominated.
Yes, I know. Excluding candidates from forums and debates will generate a barrage of complaints from those who are excluded and from critics of "the establishment." They'll moan and groan that the media (or corporate America) is silencing them, denying the platform that they need to be heard. Of course they can't win if the media "silences" them, they'll say. "It's "censorship!" they'll scream.
Oh baloney. You could give Ron Paul and Mike Gravel an hour of free TV time from now until Christmas and they still wouldn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of being nominated by their respective parties.
Right now, Hunter, Tancredo and Paul together take up more than 35 percent of the time in a GOP debate (assuming participants get roughly equal amounts of time to answer questions). That's valuable time that the credible candidates don't get.
The point of debates, after all, is to help voters decide who they favor for President, not to give everyone who wants to be President exposure.
Wow, the MSM really are squealing over losing power to the Internet-driven people. It's pretty fun to watch Stuart Rothenberg's power to decide who's a "credible candidate" and who's a "no shot" slip thru his fingers...
Them days are gone, Stuey! :D
This article has to be read to be believed.
Heretofore respected political commentator Stuart Rothenberg writes, in an article entitled "It's Time for Them to Go":
In other words, it's time for them - Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Dennis Kucinch and Mike Gravel - to go. Go to Iowa. Go to New Hampshire. Go somewhere. But get them off the stage with the credible candidates.
I'm not saying that it's time to winnow the debate fields down to the top tier candidates on either side. No, I wouldn't exclude Senators McCain, Brownback, Biden and Dodd or former Governor Huckabee. True, they are long-shots in the Presidential race, but there is a huge difference between them and the group above that I mentioned - the no shots.
The long shots have raised money, put together experienced campaign teams and have at least some chance of being nominated.
Yes, I know. Excluding candidates from forums and debates will generate a barrage of complaints from those who are excluded and from critics of "the establishment." They'll moan and groan that the media (or corporate America) is silencing them, denying the platform that they need to be heard. Of course they can't win if the media "silences" them, they'll say. "It's "censorship!" they'll scream.
Oh baloney. You could give Ron Paul and Mike Gravel an hour of free TV time from now until Christmas and they still wouldn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of being nominated by their respective parties.
Right now, Hunter, Tancredo and Paul together take up more than 35 percent of the time in a GOP debate (assuming participants get roughly equal amounts of time to answer questions). That's valuable time that the credible candidates don't get.
The point of debates, after all, is to help voters decide who they favor for President, not to give everyone who wants to be President exposure.
Wow, the MSM really are squealing over losing power to the Internet-driven people. It's pretty fun to watch Stuart Rothenberg's power to decide who's a "credible candidate" and who's a "no shot" slip thru his fingers...
Them days are gone, Stuey! :D