Roemer doesn’t make cut for first GOP debate

Former Gov. Buddy Roemer has been left off the roster for the first 2012 Republican presidential debate. Roemer was excluded from the debate, which will be held Thursday night in Greenville, S.C., and televised by Fox News. Officials with Fox and the South Carolina Republican Party required participants to average at least 1% support in national presidential polls, a threshold that Roemer doesn’t meet. In a statement, Roemer says he was “personally disappointed” with Fox’s decision and said it was an unrealistic standard to apply to smaller campaigns like his. “As the only candidate who has served both as congressman and as governor, and as the only candidate who has built a $650 million bank in the midst of the worst banking recession in 70 years while refusing bailout money, I am both serious and prepared to debate the issues and alternative methods of resolution,” Roemer says. “I am the only candidate who has not only the political acumen, but an understanding of the small businesses of Main Street America. Clearly, we meet the good faith requirements of the Fox debate.” Roemer says he will record his answers to the debate questions Thursday and put them on real time on his campaign website. Participating in the debate will be Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum. Several high-profile potential candidates passed on the debate, such as Mitt Romney, while others such as Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin haven’t formed presidential exploratory committees, one of the requirements for participation.