FOX News/Republican Party of Iowa Debate December 4th - Cancelled

[Don]

I just received word from RPI that the December 4 FOX News debate in Iowa City has been canceled after Mitt Romney backed out.

[Cowlesy]

Don - Thanks for the heads-up.

[AlexMerced]

that sucks?

[JMann]

Willard is afraid he will be attacked and his lead will vanish. I don't think the people of Iowa will appreciate that cowardly act.

[RTsquared]

Thanks for getting us the news quickly, Don.

And can you think of a more chickensh!t move by a frontrunner this election?

[DrRich]

they canceled because RP was going over 5 percent.

[ladyliberty]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Now what am I gonna do with all of these "V" halloween masks? :( :D

[Primbs]

Ron Paul always wins the debates. They are afraid.

[rockwell]

I'm sure it's so he can take some homeless orphans to the hairdresser. Or camp. Or to Mickey D's.

[SwooshOU]

Quit while you're ahead maybe?

[Danny Molina]

If Dr. Paul were to back out they definitely wouldn't cancel the debate.

[AlexMerced]

well, we're just going tohave to make that youtube debate reallly count, spread the w ord,lets make t his the hgihestrated debate ever. Cause I'm sure RP will shine addressing the peoples questions.

[Green Mountain Boy]

Heaven forbid they conduct a debate without his majesty Mitt.

[ladyliberty]

I think those other bozos ought to sit down and allow the Doctor to have the whole stage for about 90 minutes!

[UtahApocalypse]

So there first plan to not have to invite Ron Paul fails, so this is the plan B I guess what horsecrap.

[r3volution]

darn , 1 less fox smear debate ..

[troyd1]

Who cares if he is there?

[Drknows]

Who cares if he is there?

Fox news does. They Want a Rudy/Mccain ticket Or Fred/Rudy. They set Mitt up for failure too. I noticed in the last two debate Ron Paul wasn't the only one getting screwed,

[weagle]

Should RP have a townhall that night to show that hey he wanted to converse witht the people of Iowa.

[rasheedwallace]

good, they would obliterate paul in the post coverage anyway. we don't need it. the youtube is where it is at.

[Ron LOL]

Spammers!

I really think Romney is less worried about RP than he is about Huckabee, at least in IA. Yes, we know that RP destroys everybody on an intellectual level. But the Huckster has the whole affable-preacher-man-who-can-still-summon-the-holy-fire thing going, and the neo-cons seem to like him as an "outsider" as a result.

[LibertyEagle]

Quit while you're ahead maybe?

More than likely.

[LibertyEagle]

good, f*** fox news. they would obliterate paul in the post coverage anyway. we don't need it. the youtube is where it is at.

PLEASE watch your language on here. :(

Look Rasheed, we've already run off some people because of foul language. Let's please not run off more. Please help, ok?

[Primbs]

We might try to set up a debate with some of the other candidates.

Any debate will be a big media event.

[BiPolarBear]

Should RP have a townhall that night to show that hey he wanted to converse witht the people of Iowa.

That would be awesome if it could be arranged. The Huckster had one that they aired on C-SPAN and on XM POTUS '08 (which is where I caught some of it). I was wondering why the Paul campaign hasn't done something similar. They seem to be willing to give it free airtime?

[Ron LOL]

That would be awesome if it could be arranged. The Huckster had one that they aired on C-SPAN and on XM POTUS '08 (which is where I caught some of it). I was wondering why the Paul campaign hasn't done something similar. They seem to be willing to give it free airtime?

I think the townhall format is really a great vessel for RP's "requires some assembly" (and by assembly, I mean explanation) message.

[walt]

retracted due to des mianes register news.

[thomaseusin]

Should RP have a townhall that night to show that hey he wanted to converse witht the people of Iowa.

sounds like an excellent idea! fox had probably advertised the heck out of it and people of iowa are probably wondering what happened that it got cancelled.. great time to go out there to talk about it!

[tmg19103]

That could piss off Iowans and give Huck the win there.

[LinearChaos]

Right now Fox News probably has bigger things to worry about, like their golden boy, Scoop and Dump.

[dsentell]

I would love to hear Mitt's excuse. What could be more important?

[bbachtung]

The Des Moines Register is having a debate (to which RP and others are invited and have accepted) on December 12.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/NEWS09/711150401/1001/NEWS

[tmg19103]

Thinking about it, why would they cancel just because one candidate backed out?

If Fox still has the debate and Romney still does not show, he will lose HUGE face in Iowa where he is leading so Fox can force the issue by having the debate with all the other candidates (in which case Romeny would have to show) - unless the conspiracy types want to think Fox cancelled with Romney as an excuse because RP was going to meet their polling criteria to get in.

[bbachtung]

I would love to hear Mitt's excuse. What could be more important?

Working on the RV that his kids drive to serve our country?

[reduen]

Does this not seem extremely weird to anybody else? Why would they cancel because one of the participants can't make it?

[Johnnybags]

Does this not seem extremely weird to anybody else? Why would they cancel because one of the participants can't make it?

I am glad, FOX sucks anyway and now they'll make the rules 10 percent for the next one. Paul should go address Iowans that night anyway, for a freedom speech.

[UtahApocalypse]

I am willing to bet money that this was Fuax News Plan B since they could not easily keep RP oput without huge repercussions.

[thomaseusin]

Is it a Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) decision or FOX decision?

Is it possible to have other stations televise a debate if FOX were the ones who pulled out? Local channels might be interested? PBS maybe? I'm sure the other channels would jump on the press that a cancelled Presidential primary debate generates, wouldn't it?

If the RPI decided to pulled out, could the delegates write in to revisit that decision?

[Primbs]

Reagan had that debate in New Hampshire with just Bush, then Reagan brought out the other candidates at the last minute. Reagan did pay for the microphone.

Reagan also debated former Republican John Anderson during the 1980 general election. They both saw it in their interest to debate each other and everybody noticed the President was avoiding the debate.


It made Reagan look like a nice guy. Carter looked like a mean spirited President.

[Thom1776]

"After consulting with my attorneys, I have decided that participating in this debate would not be in the best interest of my campaign."

[gornandez@yahoo.com]

SWEEEET! i was gettin all worried about that one... but were in CNN YoutTube for sure :D hells yes, Ron should go to Iowa that day anyway and schmooz.
Think he reads these? Hey Ron!! Go to Iowa! :)

[Leslie Webb]

Does this not seem extremely weird to anybody else? Why would they cancel because one of the participants can't make it?

It makes one wonder whether the recently spotlighted Fox News-Giuliani connection may have had something to do with the decision. Could there be more bad news coming out from the Judith Regan suit? Perhaps Giuliani pressured Ailes to pressure Regan to lie about Kerik. Or Giuliani was in on some of Kerik's deals.

[JMann]

It makes one wonder whether the recently spotlighted Fox News-Giuliani connection may have had something to do with the decision. Could there be more bad news coming out from the Judith Regan suit? Perhaps Giuliani pressured Ailes to pressure Regan to lie about Kerik. Or Giuliani was in on some of Kerik's deals.

I'm sure they felt that after Willard pulled out Rudy and Thompson won't be far behind. Leaving only Huck and McCain in their view.

[Menthol Patch]

Do we have confirmation this debate has been canceled?

[reduen]

Do we have confirmation this debate has been canceled?

lol. Well, it did come from HQ...

[quickmike]

Working on the RV that his kids drive to serve our country?

Hey, they might be able to hitch a ride with the Granny Warriors.:D

[Ron Paul Fan]

Romney is the frontrunner so why would he want to debate and possibly slip up like Hillary did? There's another debate on the 12th so he probably doesn't want to butt heads with the likes of Ron Paul twice. Giuliani is the true chicken hawk, but Romney isn't too far behind.

[AlexMerced]

I thinkanother Iowa rally is a great idea, he'll need a bigger venue this time around

[musicmax]

Can someone post a link to a credible source for this? Can't find it anywhere.

[Dave]

Is it a Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) decision or FOX decision?

Is it possible to have other stations televise a debate if FOX were the ones who pulled out? Local channels might be interested? PBS maybe? I'm sure the other channels would jump on the press that a cancelled Presidential primary debate generates, wouldn't it?

If the RPI decided to pulled out, could the delegates write in to revisit that decision?

RPI didn't pull out. Romney pulled out. Then Fox decided they didn't want to air a debate without the front-runner.

Personally, I think Romney has more to lose than gain in Iowa from any more debates and that's why he pulled out. Especially with Huckabee closing fast on him.

[thomaseusin]

RPI didn't pull out. Romney pulled out. Then Fox decided they didn't want to air a debate without the front-runner.

Personally, I think Romney has more to lose than gain in Iowa from any more debates and that's why he pulled out. Especially with Huckabee closing fast on him.

Then can the RPI still run the debate on another station?

[davidhperry]

I wouldn't put it past Romney to decide to do the debate again. You new know what's going to happen. I would be surprised if the CNN/YouTube is the only one before the primaries begin.

[Joey Wahoo]

Can someone confirm this with a link? I find no reference to it anywhere.

thanks

[gagnonstudio]

Can someone confirm this with a link? I find no reference to it anywhere.

thanks

I believe Don (the original post) works for the campaign, so....

[Seabhacre]

Seems the real story has to do with the Dems canceling their Fox News debate next month. I have found no reference to the Republican Debate. Looks like the Dems hate Fox enough now to just say NO to them. Especially after the joke chairman Roger Ailes made about Sen. Barack Obama.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0918742820070310

[Dave]

Can someone confirm this with a link? I find no reference to it anywhere.

thanks

This just happened a few hours ago. I'm sure the usual Iowa press outlets will be reporting on it soon.

[Severius]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Now what am I gonna do with all of these "V" halloween masks? :( :D

I'll take some :D

[Goldwater Conservative]

Wow, who died and made this guy so important that an entire presidential debate hinges on his mere presence?

[Joey Wahoo]

Just saw the press release. Romney is a weenie, and he should suffer for this.

Republican Party of Iowa: Dec. 4 debate cancelled
11/15/2007

Contact: Mary Tiffany
(515) 282.8105

The upcoming Republican Party of Iowa Presidential Debate, scheduled to be televised on FOX News Channel on December 4, 2007, has been cancelled due to candidate scheduling conflicts.

RPI is disappointed that Iowans will not have the same opportunity that Republicans in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida had earlier this year with their nationally televised debates. A debate in Iowa leading up to January 3, 2008, would have displayed Iowa's unique caucus system, and possibly garnered more viewers and attention than any other debate given its proximity to the caucuses.

Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director Chuck Laudner said, "It is too bad that a candidate wouldn't want to take advantage of this kind of debate with representation from all 99 Iowa counties in the audience, let alone the fact FOX News Channel has had the most viewers of any debate."

[Revolution9]

Totally and unequivocally pwned..lock, stock and barrel. On the run and under the gun. The yellowbellies are ducking for cover.. But they are gonna be oh so effing tough on those terrurists and double guatanamo. This clown is pure bumfodder of the first order..

Best
Randy

[Joey Wahoo]

Is there a youtube of Romney's "I'd check with the lawyers first" answer, and Ron Paul's devatating response?

[SoloJlink]

There's somethin' fishy goin' on with fox and media stuff that made it cancelled.. dang those fox peeps!! :mad:

[The Good Doctor]

Hell yes! Mega-rally! :D


Should RP have a townhall that night to show that hey he wanted to converse witht the people of Iowa.

[Joey Wahoo]

I think Mitt is peeing in this pant over the rise of Huckabee.

But its also curious that RP was out unless he polled at 5% or higher. Then he hits that, and they cancel.

But honestly I think Mitt thinks he'll lose his tiny lead if he has to go head to head with Huck.

I'd still like to find the video of him getting b--slapped by Dr. Paul.

[thehittgirl]

Does this not seem extremely weird to anybody else? Why would they cancel because one of the participants can't make it?

Hubby thinks probably to decrease Ron's exposure. Fox is backed into a corner and knows it.

[jj111]

Ron Paul in ABC Iowa debate on August 5 , 2007 (8 minutes) (7.5 stars)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DCFwDoy-Y2Y
At 2:28, Ron Paul “slaps down” Romney

[Richandler]

We have a debate this month guys. It's going to be the first one since the money bomb and CNN will surely give Ron more questions than before. The Youtube debates!

[jj111]

POW! Ron Paul vs. Mitt Romney – 2007 Oct 17 (1 min.) (7.5 stars) – audio only
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HZEo5_QrDM&NR=1

[musicmax]

Romney's calendar is CLEAR on December 4th:

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Events/index:page=2

What a crock that the RPI would bend over for the used-car salesman when he doesn't even HAVE a "scheduling conflict".

[jj111]

Ron Paul Beats Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani on War Leadership? (4 minutes) (8 stars) Romney: “let the lawyers sort [it] out…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmntk-HVyAY&NR=1

[billjarrett]

I just sent an email to the Romney campaign saying that I was torn between him and a few other candidates, and was waiting for the debate to make my decision. I said that since he was the one who cancelled the debate, that it only showed me he was afraid of letting his views be known, so I have crossed him off my list of people to vote for and would spread the word.

(Ok, so I wasn't really torn on who I was voting for.. but I am a member of his "mailing list" because I'm a member of everyones "mailing list")

[derdy]

I wouldn't have watched it anyways. The last Fox debate was absolutely unbearable.

[CurtisLow]

I am willing to bet money that this was Fuax News Plan B since they could not easily keep RP out without huge repercussions.

Thats what I was thinking..

[Jojo]

So there first plan to not have to invite Ron Paul fails, so this is the plan B I guess what horsecrap.

Yup. They cannot be in a debate with Ron Paul anymore. It makes them look bad and Ron look good. On with the puppet show!

This pisses me off!!!!

[paulitics]

This just cost Willard Iowa. It will now go to Huckabee. This could help us come NH, where Willard is our biggest foe

[billjarrett]

Just saw the press release. Romney is a weenie, and he should suffer for this.

Republican Party of Iowa: Dec. 4 debate cancelled
11/15/2007

Contact: Mary Tiffany
(515) 282.8105

The upcoming Republican Party of Iowa Presidential Debate, scheduled to be televised on FOX News Channel on December 4, 2007, has been cancelled due to candidate scheduling conflicts.

RPI is disappointed that Iowans will not have the same opportunity that Republicans in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida had earlier this year with their nationally televised debates. A debate in Iowa leading up to January 3, 2008, would have displayed Iowa's unique caucus system, and possibly garnered more viewers and attention than any other debate given its proximity to the caucuses.

Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director Chuck Laudner said, "It is too bad that a candidate wouldn't want to take advantage of this kind of debate with representation from all 99 Iowa counties in the audience, let alone the fact FOX News Channel has had the most viewers of any debate."


This just cost Willard Iowa. It will now go to Huckabee. This could help us come NH, where Willard is our biggest foe

This only costs him Iowa if people know he chose not to go. The press release was conveniently worded "has been cancelled due to candidate scheduling conflicts. "

[terlinguatx]

...

[jrich4rpaul]

Maybe RP should have a rally that day now instead of the debate? Could draw some numbers.

[ClayTrainor]

Some of these candidates, i tell ya... There should be mandatory debates, that if you bail, your out of the race, unless you have a dam good excuse, like illness.

Everyone loses here, because of mitt romney being to busy for a debate in a god dam presidential election.

[Midnight77]

There is something very fishy going on here. Romney wouldn't back out of something like this. This will make him look terrible in the eyes of the voters.

On FOX's end, we know there would be blowback from them not including Paul. That and everyone would be heavily scrutinizing them for the amount of time allotted to each of the candidates, which of course Giuliani and Romney would receive the most .... which would be more bad press for them.

I guess their last chance now is that Hillary will win, since Murdoch has been donating to her campaign. What a scumbag. Trying to rig the election.

And I agree. Ron Paul should be in Iowa on that day and hold a huge rally.

[MsDoodahs]

"After consulting with my attorneys, I have decided that participating in this debate would not be in the best interest of my campaign."

:D

Cracked me up!

[MsDoodahs]

Totally and unequivocally pwned..lock, stock and barrel. On the run and under the gun. The yellowbellies are ducking for cover.. But they are gonna be oh so effing tough on those terrurists and double guatanamo. This clown is pure bumfodder of the first order..

Best
Randy

Q. F. T.

:D

[bobmurph]

All the front-runner shysters have nothing to gain by actually exposing themselve to open discourse and debate.

Exactly. This is absolutley ridiculous. A perfect example that the media is trying to elect the next president. The front runners really have nothing to gain debating the rest of the field.

A shining example of democracy in America in 2007! [/sarcasm]

[misconstrued]

Paul and Huckabee should have a sit down "gentlemen's debate" of sorts in Iowa. One where they can really go into detail about the issues. Just the 2 of them one on one. Just the 2 of them and no one else.

[ItsTime]

So when is the next debate??? Isnt this the second one in a row canceled??

[jrich4rpaul]

Paul and Huckabee should have a sit down "gentlemen's debate" of sorts in Iowa. One where they can really go into detail about the issues. Just the 2 of them one on one. Just the 2 of them and no one else.

Pretty good idea, but Huck may do one of his little honor speeches to drive the crowd wild to make Paul look bad. A Ron Paul rally would be good. He needs to at least do something that day so the people of Iowa don't think he backed out.

[jeremycobert]

Contact: Mary Tiffany For Immediate Release

(515) 282.8105 November 15, 2007



Republican Party of Iowa Debate Cancelled



The upcoming Republican Party of Iowa Presidential Debate, scheduled to be televised on FOX News Channel on December 4, 2007, has been cancelled due to candidate scheduling conflicts.



RPI is disappointed that Iowans will not have the same opportunity that Republicans in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida had earlier this year with their nationally televised debates. A debate in Iowa leading up to January 3, 2008, would have displayed Iowa's unique caucus system, and possibly garnered more viewers and attention than any other debate given its proximity to the caucuses.



Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director Chuck Laudner said, "It is too bad that a candidate wouldn't want to take advantage of this kind of debate with representation from all 99 Iowa counties in the audience, let alone the fact FOX News Channel has had the most viewers of any debate."



###

[cjhowe]

Pretty good idea, but Huck may do one of his little honor speeches to drive the crowd wild to make Paul look bad. A Ron Paul rally would be good. He needs to at least do something that day so the people of Iowa don't think he backed out.



According to the Strategic Vision poll, RP just needs to say "bring the troops home" and 53% of Republican Iowans will say "RP's our man!" Seems odd that RP is only polling at 5% with the response to that question.


http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/iowa_poll_111407.htm
4. Do you favor a withdrawal of all United States military from Iraq within the next six months? (Republicans Only)
Yes 53%
No 36%
Undecided 11%

[Ron Paul in 2008]

Thinking about it, why would they cancel just because one candidate backed out?

If Fox still has the debate and Romney still does not show, he will lose HUGE face in Iowa where he is leading so Fox can force the issue by having the debate with all the other candidates (in which case Romeny would have to show) - unless the conspiracy types want to think Fox cancelled with Romney as an excuse because RP was going to meet their polling criteria to get in.

Exactly. Its terribly unprofessional for Romney to cancel and for Foxnews to cancel the debate because of it. If he has other priorities it is his loss. I will like to hear what is more important to Romney than the debate. What about the other 7 candidates?

We really need to establish or own news network.


Exactly. This is absolutley ridiculous. A perfect example that the media is trying to elect the next president. The front runners really have nothing to gain debating the rest of the field.

A shining example of democracy in America in 2007! [/sarcasm]

True. I think its funny that they are campaigning to "get their message" out because the more people learn about them the more they are turned off.

[Midnight77]

I am speculating this has to do with Giuliani. FOX probably paid Romney a nice sum to go along with this, because FOX didn't want to be unfairly criticized for the amount of debate time given to Giuliani vs the other candidates. Of course, Giuliani couldn't be the one cancelling out, as that would look really bad, given everything that went down with Regan. So, they went to Romney instead.

It makes no sense why Romney would cancel out, whatsoever. Just speculation, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

[Ron Paul Fan]

It makes perfect sense why Romney canceled. He's the frontrunner in the state and doesn't need to debate. Why take a chance of getting bashed by another candidate? I guess it'd be fun to come up with more conspiracy theories, but Romney decided that it was better to play defense and that's all there is to it.

[Midnight77]

^^ I can go along with that. That does make sense. Hopefully, there is some blowback for his decision amongst the voters.

[Ron Paul Fan]

^^ I can go along with that. That does make sense. Hopefully, there is some blowback for his decision amongst the voters.

I hope so too. Probably won't be too big of a deal, but hopefully it gets around that he's a chicken hawk like Giuliani. At least we still have the debate on December 12th.

[The Good Doctor]

I say let's get 10,000 plus there for a rally! Piss em off righteously!


Maybe RP should have a rally that day now instead of the debate? Could draw some numbers.

[BuddyRey]

Is there any way to make FOX News change their minds? This is an outrage, If you ask me, this is even more e-mail worthy than the Glen Beck situation.

[misconstrued]

Pretty good idea, but Huck may do one of his little honor speeches to drive the crowd wild to make Paul look bad. A Ron Paul rally would be good. He needs to at least do something that day so the people of Iowa don't think he backed out.

A rally is a no brainer, but I think Ron Paul needs to go head to head with Huckabee. Huckabee seems to have more momentum in Iowa than anyone right now. With the format I am talking about Huckabee won't be as able to do what he has done in previous debates (e.g. "not the divided states of america") with as much success. I also think Huckabee will not pass up on a chance to share the stage with Paul.

[fj45lvr]

FOX will use this opportunity to give FRANK LUNTZ The full 2 hour time slot to let us know all about what the focus group thinks about it all....maybe the focus group with Luntz at the helm can make some sense of the flipper for us....I think he may have had to do some baptisms for the dead that night (so a little bird has told me).

[devil21]

It makes perfect sense why Romney canceled. He's the frontrunner in the state and doesn't need to debate. Why take a chance of getting bashed by another candidate? I guess it'd be fun to come up with more conspiracy theories, but Romney decided that it was better to play defense and that's all there is to it.

I think the Dec 4 debate was turning into a perfect storm and Fox killed it. Its clear there are no scheduling conflicts for anyone. Fox saw that Romney could get hurt, Giuliani would get tagged hard over the Kerik/Regan thing, and Ron Paul would further boost his support. Fred probably doesn't care one way or the other. It benefits everyone BUT Ron Paul to cancel the debate and Fox saw that. The "front runners" didn't mind it being cancelled given the other issues.

(I dont see why another network couldn't just pick it up instead though)

[jrich4rpaul]

A rally is a no brainer, but I think Ron Paul needs to go head to head with Huckabee. Huckabee seems to have more momentum in Iowa than anyone right now. With the format I am talking about Huckabee won't be as able to do what he has done in previous debates (e.g. "not the divided states of america") with as much success. I also think Huckabee will not pass up on a chance to share the stage with Paul.

It would be fair if they didn't pack the crowd with Huck supporters and it was a balanced audience.

It could definately work, but I'm supporting the idea for a huge rally that would out-do the attendance numbers that the debate would have had.

[DRV45N05]

Because Romney couldn't attend.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1107/FoxIowa_GOP_debate_off_Romney_blamed.html#comments

Rediculous on Fox's part. For one, Fox should still put on the debate and allow voters to get more time and thoughts other candidates. In doing so, they show quite clearly what their agenda is: to cater to the top-tier candidates.

Hopefully, this will generate a healthy dose of backlash against Romney.

[Bradley in DC]

Thanks for supporting Dr. Paul and welcome to the forum, but please check before posting new threads. ;)

[seapilot]

His lawyers advised him against it.

[rontra74]

It could also be because Fox is in a lot of hot water for backing Ghoul-iani...

har har har... check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irgbcw73d70

[terlinguatx]

...

[Midnight77]

Well, with Romney being out, then all the focus would be on Giuliani. Then, they would come under fire after the Judith Regan situation. So they probably figured it would be a PR nightmare. If they had any integrity, they would continue the debate and have a fair debate. But that violates FOX's ethical (lack thereof) standards. What a disgraceful network.

[MadTheologian]

It makes perfect sense why Romney canceled. He's the frontrunner in the state and doesn't need to debate. Why take a chance of getting bashed by another candidate? I guess it'd be fun to come up with more conspiracy theories, but Romney decided that it was better to play defense and that's all there is to it.

That sort of overconfidence will back fire on him. Best thing for Dr Paul is to have a grand tour in Iowa. He could eat the delicious and hearty Maid-Rites. He could hang out and have a huge talk at the University and meet the Hawkeyes. Attend a church of his choice. All the stuff Romney could have done, but refused.

[conner_condor]

Is it a Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) decision or FOX decision?

Is it possible to have other stations televise a debate if FOX were the ones who pulled out? Local channels might be interested? PBS maybe? I'm sure the other channels would jump on the press that a cancelled Presidential primary debate generates, wouldn't it?

If the RPI decided to pulled out, could the delegates write in to revisit that decision?

Yes I was going to say that also.. Maybe should get on the ball and see if this can get done.. Invites the candidates and see who shows for this state... Get R Done..

[terlinguatx]

...

[Original_Intent]

Romney needs to be ridiculed for this. Scheduling conflict - hah! What a coward.

And I freaking cannot believe they would cancel a debate over this - give him an empty podium like the Values Voters did.

[Midnight77]

One would think FOX would be pissed, and I think Hannity gave a very slight dig on Romney about this, but then there would be more time for Giuliani. Still not sure why FOX cancelled. If they went ahead with it, and Giuliani wasn't there, then that would make him look pretty bad.

[Ncturnal]

Another vote for an Iowa rally on the same day the debate was supposed to happen. Paul could welcome any other candidates that wanted to debate as well. We need to capitalize on this somehow. I don't think it's a big loss with the antics Fox was pulling during the last debate.

[Convert]

I'm not a conspiracy theorists, but it seems strange to me that the debate was canceled due to "candidates" scheduling conflicts when last I heard invitations hadn't even been sent out. What, did Romney notify them in advance that he planned to have a scheduling conflict? Something smells rotten in Denmark to me.

[Abyss19562]

I say they just let Paul have the stage for about 2 hours. This sucks that they canceled. Why it sucks you might ask ? Because now Paul can't get another debate win under his belt.

[Midnight77]

I'm not a conspiracy theorists, but it seems strange to me that the debate was canceled due to "candidates" scheduling conflicts when last I heard invitations hadn't even been sent out. What, did Romney notify them in advance that he planned to have a scheduling conflict? Something smells rotten in Denmark to me.

I was thinking the same thing you were, but the more I think about it, the more I think Romney just cancelled out. He knows he's ahead in the polls in Iowa, and he probably figured FOX was going to ambush him, to put Giuliani ahead, so he didn't want to take that chance.

So, if FOX would have continued with the debate, it would have been Giuliani, Thompson, Huckabee, and McCain only ... as I don't think they had intention of inviting Paul. Then, there would be tremendous heat on them for not inviting Paul and the Media would accuse them of simply wanting to focus on Giuliani ... adding more credence to the Judith Regan allegation. I suppose FOX views it as a potential PR disaster if they would have went through with it.

If they just would have invited Paul, and the other candidates, then we could have made a debate out of it. But FOX also does not want Paul to get any momentum whatsoever.

So those are the reasons I think they cancelled it. I can not stand News Corp.

Sean Hannity made a very quick but negative comment about him on Hannity and Colmes tonight, but I forgot what he said.