CNN changes debate criteria, clearing path for Fiorina

[Chieppa1]

CNN announced on Tuesday that it has changed the criteria for its upcoming debate, making space for Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina on the primetime stage.
Fiorina had argued for weeks that CNN's debate criteria unfairly weighted early field leaders over those who have polled better since the Fox News debate on Aug. 6.
According to CNN, any candidate who ranks in the top 10 between Aug. 6 and Sept. 10 will be included in the primetime debate on Sept. 16.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/0...#ixzz3kWitNbmU

[CPUd]

This means there will probably be 11 candidates in the main debate.

[William Tell]

The GOP bigwigs and media have been pushing so hard for her.

[RonPaulMall]

The GOP bigwigs and media have been pushing so hard for her.

They are desperate for a Pro-Amnesty, Pro-Bailout, Pro Managed Trade alternative to Trump and Carson now that Jeb is flaming out. Their transparency is obvious. If a Ron Paul were in Carly's shoes right now they would never make allowances to let him in.

[carlton]

How does this affect Rand?

[CPUd]

How does this affect Rand?

It's somewhere between neutral and good for Rand, because Carly won't replace him, she just gets added to the mix. This rule really only specifically benefits her, unless Perry, Jindal, Santorum, Graham suddenly poll 20-30% in the next 2 polls.

[Krugminator2]

They are desperate for a Pro-Amnesty, Pro-Bailout, Pro Managed Trade

You do realize Trump IS all three of those things right? Even now, he is for amnesty. He is the biggest managed trader on planet. That is his whole schtick. If Trump is nothing else, he is for managed trade in the extreme. All he talks about is centrally planned trade with China. Trump supported not just the bank bailouts, he supported the auto bailouts.

[hells_unicorn]

This is both good and bad. Good in the sense that this guarantees that Paul will participate and that this will further delegitimize all of the lower tier people who have basically been pointless space holders. Bad in the sense that it will further dilute the upper field and leave Rand with even less time to get his points across.

The GOP and Fox News pushing so hard for Fiorina is pretty ridiculous, but I'm pretty confident that she is going nowhere, especially come crunch time in Iowa. And for the life of me, if Rick Perry doesn't drop out at some point immediately following Iowa, I'll be very surprised.

[carlton]

It's somewhere between neutral and good for Rand, because Carly won't replace him, she just gets added to the mix.

This article suggests Rand could be bumped:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...xt-gop-debate/

[CPUd]

This article suggests Rand could be bumped:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...xt-gop-debate/

They read it wrong, which is bad, because they quoted the relevant part of the statement:

In the event that any candidate is polling in the top 10 in an average of approved national polls released between August 7th and September 10th, we will add those candidates to our top tier debate, even if those candidates did not poll in the top 10 in an average of approved national polls between July 16th and September 10th.

[DevilsAdvocate]

They are desperate for a Pro-Amnesty, Pro-Bailout, Pro Managed Trade alternative to Trump and Carson now that Jeb is flaming out. Their transparency is obvious. If a Ron Paul were in Carly's shoes right now they would never make allowances to let him in.

No I think they really just want a woman on stage. You know, to help combat the "war on women" narrative of the left. I don't think they actually support her winning at all.

[jj-]

This is probably bad for Carly. It's easier to stand out in a field of 5 than 11.

The other debate will have 4 people? Santorum, Graham, Pataki, Gilmore.

[CPUd]

This is probably bad for Carly. It's easier to stand out in a field of 5 than 11.

The other debate will have 4 people? Santorum, Graham, Pataki, Gilmore.

+ Jindal
+ Perry

If one or 2 of them drop out, CNN could move the lowest from Segment B to that debate.

[dannno]

This is a really weird election.. admittedly the last one was really weird due to the extreme evangelickyness but this one kinda takes the cake.

[acptulsa]

This is both good and bad. Good in the sense that this guarantees that Paul will participate and that this will further delegitimize all of the lower tier people who have basically been pointless space holders. Bad in the sense that it will further dilute the upper field and leave Rand with even less time to get his points across.

The GOP and Fox News pushing so hard for Fiorina is pretty ridiculous, but I'm pretty confident that she is going nowhere, especially come crunch time in Iowa. And for the life of me, if Rick Perry doesn't drop out at some point immediately following Iowa, I'll be very surprised.

Agreed, except the veneer is coming off of Fox. It is becoming more and more obvious that Fox is just the Mainstream Media, Controlled Opposition Division. Witness the way Fox pumps Fiorina up, then CNN devises the special rule that gets her on the stage.

They're all working from the same script. CNN, NBC and others play the violins, and Fox plays the trombone. And I guess Fox Radio plays the souzaphone. They may not be playing the same notes, or at the same time all the time, but they surely are playing the same symphony.

[Xenliad]

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Trump's people go to her when they get tired of him. Plus, CNN knows how to manufacture a "surge."

[RonPaulGeorge&Ringo]

I guess Fox Radio plays the souzaphone..

I'm sure that all 5 listeners of the Alan Colmes Show and the John Gibson Show really love the performance.

[Jan2017]

. . . there will be more than 10 candidates on the prime time debate stage (for the CNN/Reagan Library debate)

Still, CNN warned in an announcement that final podium placements won't be known until Sept. 10, after all national polls have come in.

Rand and Carly would both be in under this scenario . . . I guess this is good.

[jkob]

Fox's rules were ridiculous, this is better

[Brian4Liberty]

I'm shocked...shocked to find that there is rigging going on here.

[William R]

Rand and Carly would both be in under this scenario . . . I guess this is good.

Right now Rand is in 11th. Christie and the Huckster are barely ahead.

[squirl22]

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of Trump's people go to her when they get tired of him. Plus, CNN knows how to manufacture a "surge."

Ummm, actually she may have just blown it with conservatives:

http://therightscoop.com/carly-ky-cl...r-job-or-quit/

Read the comments; these are Trump and Cruz supporters...she's toast.

[Jan2017]

Right now Rand is in 11th. Christie and the Huckster are barely ahead.

Not by these rules . . . anyone that finished in top ten . . . more than ten will be in . . .

CNN changes debate rules after Fiorina outcry

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/cnn-chang...fiorina-outcry

According to the new rules, “any candidate who ranks in the top 10 in polling between August 6 and September 10 will be included,” CNN said in a statement.

“In the event that any candidate is polling in the top 10 in an average of approved national polls released between August 7th and September 10th, we will add those candidates to our top tier debate, even if those candidates did not poll in the top 10 in an average of approved national polls between July 16th and September 10th,” the network said. “We have discussed these changes with the Republican National Committee and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and they are fully supportive.”

[Dianne]

How does this affect Rand?

FOX is saying Rand or Christie will be out. My bets are on Rand out.

[Jan2017]

FOX is saying Rand or Christie will be out. My bets are on Rand out.

An all neocon debate with a foreign policy interest, is hardly in the interest of picking the best candidate.
I think the Reagan Foundation will want a constitutionalist like Rand in their debate.

Carly will sound like a fool on foreign policy . . . this could be her one and only time on the main stage.

[Liberty74]

The GOP bigwigs and media have been pushing so hard for her.

She attacked Trump in the smaller debate. Will she...

[Liberty74]

The tricks are already being played since the first debate by giving Rand the less amount of speaking time then having FOX and Rush come out to say Rand lost.

I'm ready to buck the system and take Rand Independent.

[Brian4Liberty]

The neoconservatives (including Rick Lowry) are smiling now...

Lowry: Fiorina deserves to be in CNN debate
By Rich Lowry - Sep 01 2015

[UPDATE: CNN has decided to do just what Rich Lowry calls for in this column: Change the way it rates the candidates in a way that means Carly Fiorina will be included in the next televised debate among (some) Republican presidential candidates.]

In the unwieldy Republican presidential field, where attention is as important as money, there was supposed to be a formula for an underappreciated candidate to break out.
...
Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, unquestionably has done the first two, but the last may be beyond her power. It requires overcoming CNN debate criteria that couldn't be more harmful to her if she had shot CNN honcho Jeff Zucker's dog.

CNN tried its best back in May to come up with fair, transparent standards for who will occupy the 10 slots in its prime-time debate. It's just that in the real world they make no sense.

Consider the perversity of the CNN criteria. They will almost certainly exclude Fiorina, even though she is seventh in the current RealClearPolitics national polling average, ahead of John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul and Chris Christie, among others; even though she tied for seventh in CNN's own national poll in mid-August; and even though she has been surging in the early states, popping up to third place in the latest Iowa and New Hampshire polls, ahead of both Jeb Bush and Scott Walker.

At this rate, Carly Fiorina will hold the dubious distinction of being the strongest primary candidate excluded from a presidential-nomination debate in recent memory, although she will get the consolation prize of the CNN undercard event.
...
More: http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/289948...erves-to-be-in

[liberty_nc]

Can anyone make a July 16-Sept 10 Average and a August 7-Sept 10 Average?

[Jackie Moon]

Right now Rand is in 11th. Christie and the Huckster are barely ahead.

Rand is still very solidly in 8th place for the debate.

Including this poll, here is what the average looks like:

Trump 23.1
Bush 11.4
Walker 10.3
Carson 8.0
Rubio 6.4
Cruz 6.2
Huckabee 5.9
Paul 4.3
Kasich 3.8
Christie 3.6
Fiorina 2.5
Perry 1.9
Santorum 1.3
Jindal 1.1
Graham 0.4


from the following polls:

PPP (D) 8/28-8/30
Quinnipiac 8/20 - 8/25
CNN/ORC 8/13 - 8/16
FOX News 8/11 - 8/13
Rasmussen 8/9 - 8/10
FOX News 7/30 - 8/2
Monmouth 7/30 - 8/2
Bloomberg 7/30 - 8/2
CBS News 7/29 - 8/2
NBC/WSJ 7/26 - 7/30
Quinnipiac 7/23 - 7/28
Rasmussen 7/26 - 7/27
CNN/ORC 7/22 - 7/25
PPP (D) 7/20 - 7/21
ABC/Wash Post 7/16 - 7/19

This doesn't change that they are still going by an average of all polls from July 16th to September 10th to determine the top 10.

This just adds an extra bonus entry for anyone polling in the top 10 in recent polls. It's made as a way to add Fiorina without completely changing the rules and bumping anyone else.

Rand will be in the main CNN debate.