The culling and sniping of GOP candidates has begun. Gary Johnson excluded from CNN New Hampshire de

reason.com...

Republican presidential candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson released the following statement today in reaction to not being invited to participate in the June 13 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary debate:

“I respect the right of CNN and the other sponsors of the June 13 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary debate to apply their own criteria and invite who they choose. It is, however, unfortunate that a significant segment of the Republican Party, and more importantly, millions of independent voters who might be Republican voters, will not have a voice on the stage in Manchester.

What will be missing is the voice of those who hold an undiluted view of individual liberty – those who believe that individual rights extend to women who face choices about abortion, Americans who happen to be gay, and those who don’t place other asterisks on freedom.

Likewise, there will be no voice for the growing number of Americans who see the hypocrisy and failure of drug laws that condone alcohol at White House Dinners while incarcerating millions of Americans, including our kids, who choose to smoke pot.

I wish the participants in the debate well. And I sympathize with the millions of Americans whose beliefs will not be on display in Manchester on June 13.

I look forward to participating in the July 10 debate in Las Vegas, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform and the Daily Caller."

What's hilarious is that Johnson met CNN's criteria for an invitation, confirmed by his campaign strategist Ron Nielson, who is well aware of how polling works considering he works as a pollster for a living and owns a polling firm.

Thank you for your outpouring of support after yesterday’s news that CNN, WMUR, and the New Hampshire Union Leader decided to exclude Governor Gary Johnson from their June 13th GOP primary debate. Your response has been nothing short of inspiring.

This decision by CNN, WMUR, and the Union Leader ensures that the beliefs of millions of Americans will not be on display in Manchester on June 13. This is unacceptable. As Governor Johnson stated yesterday, “what will be missing is the voice of those who hold an undiluted view of individual liberty.”

Since my last email, we have learned more about the supposedly “objective criteria” used to determine the debate participants. CNN has stated that “participants had three different opportunities to be eligible to take part in the debate.”

While the media outlet may claim to be giving all candidates an equal opportunity to participate in the debate, this is simply not true. CNN itself didn't even include Governor Johnson in any of their own polling prior to May 24th. Governor Johnson was not listed as a choice in CNN’s April 9-10, 2011 and April 29-May 1, 2011 polls, effectively denying him the same opportunity as others to participate. This occurred despite Governor Johnson having already filed as a presidential candidate prior to their second poll.

As someone who owns a polling firm and has worked as a pollster for a living, I can tell you that early polling reflects pre-existing name recognition and little else. It is inappropriate to use polls as a means of exclusion this early in the nominating process. To speak of differences between a candidate with 3% and one with 2.5% is meaningless, because the polls CNN cites simply are not that accurate.

Our campaign office, however, had not received an invitation, so we called this week, thinking we might have misplaced it or simply overlooked it. To our shock, at about 6:30 this morning, we learned that Governor Johnson was not invited, he was not going to be invited, and he would not be allowed to participate.

Most polls have a margin of error of about 4%, which makes it impossible to distinguish between small differences in level of support. What is clear is that Governor Johnson has a similar level of support as Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman, both of whom were extended invitations to participate.

Meanwhile, the Union Leader filed this report yesterday evening about the ‘first-in-the-nation presidential cruise on Lake Winnipesauke: “Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson gets biggest applause of the night so far when he says the U.S. Department of Education should be abolished. He said the federal bureaucracy is blocking quality education and choice, like school vouchers. Johnson, to about 400 Republicans on board the Mount Washington for the first-in-the-nation cruise, said America should pull troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and stop intervening in Libya.”

It is clear that Governor Johnson should not be excluded from this early primary debate. Not surprisingly, CNN feels differently. Please help us keep up the pressure on the debate sponsors:

CNN
(404) 827-1500 or (202) 898-7900
Text: CNN (space) and your news tip to 772937 (don't forget the space after CNN). www.cnn.com...
Twitter: @CNN or @teamCNN

WMUR
www.wmur.com...
(603) 669-9999
Twitter: @WMUR9

Union Leader
[email protected]
www.unionleader.com...
(603) 668-4321 Twitter: @unionleader

Please take that action. With Twitter, use hashtag #GJ2012 or #GJinNH.

Encourage your friends and acquaintances to subscribe to our campaign updates. They can do so easily by visiting Governor Johnson’s homepage at: www.GaryJohnson2012.com.

Help us continue to fight for your voice on the national stage. Your financial support is vital: donate.GaryJohnson2012.com.

The battle has been joined.

Ron Nielson
Chief Campaign Strategist
Gary Johnson 2012

What's clear is that Johnson is the first candidate that those wishing to manipulate this election are targeting. His treatment during Fox's debate showed it (received the least amount of questions, the least time to answer questions, and even received joke questions that weren't even serious), CNN is just making it obvious.

Is he saying Paul doesn't speak for individual liberty?

I don't know anything about Johnson. I'll have to hop over to "on the issues" or something but he can't just discount Paul like that.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Is he saying Paul doesn't speak for individual liberty?

He's a candidate trying to sell himself. Why would he say "Oh its okay if I'm not there, that guy is more well known and we believe in the same thing" if he's trying to get elected? Besides, if Paul runs for president either with the GOP or third party, I'm betting money Johnson will be his running mate.

I don't know anything about Johnson. I'll have to hop over to "on the issues" or something but he can't just discount Paul like that.

He's even more liberal than Paul is. Paul just believes gay marriage and abortion is a state matter; Johnson actually believes it should be legal without question.

He doesn't care about social issues really, he's a fiscal guy and his record as governor shows what he can do.

This has always gone on. Networks want the best ratings - and the parties will manipulate things to get the most "electable" person (as they see it) on the ticket.

You'll see stories like this from every election. This guy is already toast whether he knows it or not. What the people might actually want never enters the picture.

reply to post by SpectreDC


When I watched the first debate, all I could keep thinking was that I hope Gary Johnson stays in because that way he is the one getting the "Ron Paul" treatment. Now that the networks have decided that he can't run for president, Ron Paul will once again be getting the "Ron Paul" treatment.

CNN = Bull$hit

I don't think there is a way to reverse this, how is America going to ever going to be regained by Americans
if the corporate elites and media dictate the candidates and also the financing of elections?Ultimately we also
get the policy, it's a lose-lose situation.

F%#%% CNN and their mothers