Six candidates to participate in historic 2008 S.C. GOP Presidential Candidates Debate (No Hunter)

SC GOP ^ | 1/9/08 | Staff

[pissant]

Contact: Rob Godfrey, Communications Director 803.807.7144

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Excitement surrounding presidential politics in South Carolina continues to grow as South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson today announced that invitations have been extended to and accepted by six Republican presidential candidates to participate in the 2008 South Republican Party Presidential Candidates Debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

"The stakes couldn't be higher this election, and we couldn't be more excited to extend a warm South Carolina welcome to six White House hopefuls who are seeking the Republican nomination to be the next President of the United States," said Dawson. "These candidates join tens of thousands of Republicans from across the country and hundreds of journalists from around the world who are converging on Myrtle Beach for this debate because they know the 2008 election could be decided on our stage that night."

The following candidates will be receiving formal invitations from the South Carolina Republican Party to the 2008 South Carolina Republican Party Presidential Candidates Debate (in alphabetical order):

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani - New York City

Former Governor Mike Huckabee - Arkansas

U.S. Senator John McCain - Arizona

U.S. Congressman Ron Paul - Texas

Former Governor Mitt Romney - Massachusetts

Former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson - Tennessee

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.

The 2008 South Republican Party Presidential Candidates Debate will be televised live by FOX News Channel at 9:00 PM from the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Thursday, January 10, 2008. FOX News Channel Washington Managing Editor Brit Hume will moderate the debate while FOX News anchor Chris Wallace and White House Correspondent Wendell Goler will ask questions of the candidates.

FOX News Radio (FNR) will also provide listeners with live debate coverage beginning at 9 PM/ET. FNR’s Mike Majchrowitz will anchor the debate live from inside the hall. Following the debate, Majchrowitz and FNR Political Analyst and Washington Post columnist Jeff Birnbaum will provide post-debate analysis. They will be joined by FOX News Radio Correspondent Todd Starnes and several special guests live from “Spin Alley”.

[longtermmemmory]

Ron Paul has more traction than Hunter?

Well that explains it.

[polymuser]

This is BS. Pure, smelly BS.

[geopyg]

I’ll be giving them a call today. Hunter did fairly well in the straw polls so I’m not sure why the GOP leadership didn’t extend an invitation to him. Additionaly - his vast experience on the House Armed Services Commitee will also bring a knowledgable voice to the debates during this time of war.

[af_vet_rr]

You do realize that Faux is run by one of Guiliani’s buddies, right?

[Coldwater Creek]

They have already picked McCain/Clinton. Two crazies will create a lot of air time for the MSM and cable news.

[Coldwater Creek]

The RNC has picked their man McCain!

[EternalVigilance]

And RNC is doing what?

Laughing at you.

RNC head denies party's responsibility to electorate for primary election process

Chairman Mike Duncan responds to Keyes campaign's allegations of 'Iowa deception'

January 9, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Monday, Stephen Stone, CEO of Alan Keyes for President, met with Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan to discuss "evidence of deception by the Iowa Republican Party with regard to the recent caucuses."

Stone delivered a letter that described the campaign's allegations against Iowa GOP officials. According to Stone, the state party's behavior in the caucuses "disenfranchises voters" and appears to have "violated the election laws."

Among the facts outlined by Stone:

1. State party leaders gave precinct chairs a "suggested ballot" of presidential candidates that was used to guide caucus-goers in the nominating and voting process, and Alan Keyes' name was excluded from the list. The reason given by party officials was that Keyes "announced too late" — although he announced four months ago on Sept. 14, nine days after Fred Thompson. Stone noted the party's list of favored candidates amounted to free advertising and gave them an unfair advantage.
   
   
2. Party leaders claimed they weren't aware Keyes was running, even though many of these officials personally attended a Dec. 12 Iowa presidential debate involving all the major Republican candidates, including Keyes. The debate, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, was broadcast nationally by CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, C-SPAN, and PBS.
   
   
3. Claiming they couldn't include Keyes' name in their electronic reporting system, GOP officials have refused to release the total number of votes for Keyes, saying they don't know the total — even though witnesses say they saw precinct chairs reporting to state officials the number of votes received by Keyes at the caucuses. A C-SPAN viewer claims he saw a video clip that documented the reporting of votes for Keyes to state headquarters by two precinct chairs.
   
   
4. The Iowa GOP continues to exclude Keyes as a candidate on their website (www.iowagop.net) — as well as exclude his vote totals — as though his candidacy doesn't exist.
   
   
5. According to Iowa statutes, failure by officials to report the votes of qualified voters in a presidential precinct caucus is illegal and punishable by law.
   
   
6. The exclusion of Keyes appears motivated by bias against him — in a way that is un-American and contrary to democratic principles.
   
   

Said Stone, "In our judgment, the tactics we've witnessed by the state party are reminiscent of 'communist-style' electoral politics. By unfairly developing a 'suggested ballot' of candidates, and allowing irregular handling of votes for Ambassador Keyes, state party officials created an atmosphere of intimidation for Keyes voters."

"Aside from damaging the environment for free choice in the election process" — Stone said he told RNC chairman Duncan — "such deceptive practices are both unethical and illegal."

Duncan's response, Stone said, was to deny that the Republican Party has any responsibility for the illegal or improper actions of state parties. According to Stone, this response is unacceptable, since the RNC recently penalized several state parties for pushing the 2008 presidential primaries far ahead of schedule, due to their inordinate zeal to be "first in the nation."

As punishment, the national party stripped New Hampshire, Wyoming, Michigan, Florida, and South Carolina of half their delegates to the national GOP convention, to be held in Minneapolis in September. "If the RNC can do this, it can do similar things to stop states like Iowa from ignoring fair electoral process and deceiving and disenfranchising the electorate," Stone added.

The full text of Stone's letter to Chairman Duncan is available below — along with supporting documents and the testimony of witnesses.

• Letter to RNC chairman Mike Duncan
  
  
• Official precinct caucus reporting procedure
  
  
• Omission of Keyes' name at Iowa GOP website
  
  
• Comments from Keyes supporters who attended the Iowa caucuses
  
  
• Excerpts from Iowa Code, Title II
  
  
• "Iowa GOP refuses to report Keyes votes" (press release)
  
  
• "C-SPAN viewer decries communist-style politics in Iowa caucuses" (press release)
  
  

[Sun]

“Contact: Rob Godfrey, SC GOP Communications Director
803.807.7144

The SC GOP main number: Phone: 803.988.8440

Fox News: 1-888-369-4762.”

I will tell them that Hunter fought for THEIR free speech, and so did his son, and it is so wrong to single him out, and not allow him to have free speech.

Also, the next time the RNC solicits for $$, here’s another reason not to donate to them, and tell them so.

[WalterSkinner]

The Lords of Information Have Spoken

[Man50D]

This whole election process has become a farce.

[gidget7]

And yet the RNC has to nerve to continue to ask ME for money! I will continue to say no, and at the polls at well on election day.

We haven’t let the, they left us! as Zell would say.

[Smokin' Joe]

It isn't just FOX.

They are letting the Liberals in NH decide who debates in SC.

G(oodbye) O(ld) P(arty).

[SoConPubbie]

But nah, Fox and the GOP don’t want him in the debates.

Sad state of affairs when our party turns their backs on those who brought them to power.

[tiger-one]

FOX Corp line 212-301-3000 you will get an operator who wants a name so she can look it up. I gave her Hume, she said a name other than a reporter, so just keep calling day and night and tell HER why we are calling. Keep their lines busy sooner or later they will get the message.

[iowamark]

I would exclude Ron Paul and include Hunter, if it was up to me.

However, you Hunter folks cannot have it both ways.

When asked why Hunter is not campaigning, you tell us that he is skipping Iowa and New Hampshire. This in spite of the significant campaigning he did early in Iowa and the campaigning he did in NH before the primary. Then after he finishes at less than one percent, we are told this is meaningless because, after all, he wasn’t even trying!

If he isn’t even trying, then there is no real reason to include him in debates with the candidates who are trying. If he is trying, let him prove it by campaigning regularly like the serious candidates.

[LaurenD]

It’s the South Carolina Republican Party chairman that extended the invitations and didn’t include Hunter. Fox news is just covering it. I would suspect that Hunter has been shunned by those in his own party for the same reason Tancredo has been for years. Less illegals means less cheap labor...means less profit margins for those that employ them....means less campaign contributions to the RNC.

[gidget7]

wow, spellcheck didn’t pick that up. LOL my apologies. We haven’t left them, they left us.

I cancelled FOX already. I am not paying 10.00 a month extra for this!

[Salvation]

Please take out Ron Paul..........he is a dimocrat not a republican.

[VirginiaConstitutionalist]

One simple rule. If you’re on the ballot, you’re in the debate. I’m not a fan of government force, but the FEC and FCC may want to consider enforcing its “equal time” rule and tell Fox to either let them in the debate or give them free airtime, in the same timeslot.

[Califreak]

Thanks. Left a comment. Loathing does not fully express my sentiments for Fox.