The manager of former Gov. Buddy Roemer’s presidential campaign has fired off an angry e-mail to supporters, complaining about the candidate’s ongoing exclusion from Republican debates. Carlos Sierra says “bull—t” rules are keeping Roemer out of the debates, such as the one set for Sept. 7 hosted by Politico and NBC News. Organizers are requiring candidates to have polled at 4% in one of eight prominent national polls taken of the GOP field since November. “It’s a sad day in our country when a former congressman, governor and current successful businessman is not invited to be onstage to discuss the corrupting influences of money in politics and the continued demise of our economy,” Sierra says. Sierra goes on to complain that the debate will feature “someone onstage whose ignorant mind compared homosexuality to bestiality (former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum); the Godfather of Obamacare will also be allowed to defend his unconstitutional law (former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney); there will be a former pizza chain executive who discriminates against the Muslim faith (ex-Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain); and there will be someone onstage who thinks it’s more important to vacation in Hawaii than to campaign for the most important office of the free world (former House Speaker Newt Gingrich).” There has been some criticism of the debate standards, which are also excluding former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter of Michigan. Adding to Sierra’s outrage, Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, each of whom recently dipped to 2% support in national polls, are being allowed to participate in the Sept. 7 debate, as is Gingrich, whose campaign imploded this summer after his senior staffers quit en masse.
Poll: Should former Gov. Buddy Roemer be allowed to participate in Republican presidential debates, even though he is polling below the threshold for participation?
