Posted on 12/21/2015 10:15:57 AM PST by Zakeet
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) blames the GOPâs two-tiered debate system for hurting his presidential candidacy.
Graham, who on Monday dropped out of the GOP race for the White House, called the system "strange" and said Republicans should "never do this again."
"You just can't punch through when you've got a two-tiered system," added Graham, who never made the main stage of a GOP debate, where he might have been able to trade barbs with front-runner Donald Trump.
"I just don't see a way for me to get on the main stage in time to make a difference," Graham told CNN.
"We're going to have to start consolidating as Republicans."
Republicans have allowed about 10 candidates to appear on the main debate stage for each of their five contests, which has relegated lower-polling candidates such as Graham to an earlier debate.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Linseed would have won if the GPOe would have let him on the stage with the big boys!
I absolutely agree, he should never have ever been on a debate stage.
What? He’s whining he wasn’t on the RIGHT stage? Here’s a lollipop, the hurt will eventually go away little boy.
Moron should never have run for the senate, let alone the presidency.
What's your excuse, Lindsey?
He hurt his own candidacy. The two tiered debate thingy is pretty darn cool. It took a difficult situation and supplied a very good solution. Also it gave Conservatives just that much more TV time to make their case to the American people.
We shouldn’t have a two tiered debate system. There should be a threshold of support you need to meet to be on the stage. Everyone else should be on the road trying to increase their support...or stay home and watch it on TV.
Second rate candidates belong on the lower tier, Lindsey. At least you finally recognized that you didn't have a chance. Now it's time for Pataki, Christie and The Huckster to drop out.
Who’s “we”? His idea of the GOP is one that has long abandoned its voter base.
I agree that the two tier debate sucks.
Along with the high numbers of candidates on stage for the main debate.
Run one debate with no more than the top six candidates and let the chips fall where they may.
Well, it’s called, SUPPORT!
The Senator LACKED SUPPORT!
Garnering SUPPORT for his presidential run was up to him.
Guess his arrogance and his votes in the US Senate had a negative impact, huh?
What’s particularly pathetic, is this girly-man believes what he is saying.
That is like Kasich a couple of weeks ago.
Host/Mod asked him why he was so low in the polls.
He responded that people didn’t know who he was.
[After 4 debates? If they don’t know you after 4 debates, John, they are not interested in you.]
FU Grahamnesty and the McNuts you rode in on!
The 4 losers at the kiddie table had the same 2+ hours to make their points as the NINE did.
Linda had over twice as many minutes to “debate” as any of those big kids
Fiorina did, not that it did her a lot of good.
iCarly was promoted from the “kiddies table.”
I think that it is a good system for dealing with a number of candidate which is unwieldy for a debate format, and the possibility of promotion/demotion recalls a neat aspect of English soccer leagues.
Having a threshold for overall qualification, and then having the upper half participate in one debate and the lower half in the other might make it more fair—but giving the lower group a chance to show whether or not there is a diamond in the rough seems a fair idea.
Graham was a single-issue candidate. His response to nearly every question: ‘send more troops — except to the southern border.’
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