Say It Ain't So Already

Calling Buddy Roemer

January 11, 2012 at 4:41 PM Leave a comment

Do you know who Buddy Roemer is?

He’s a former Republican governor of Louisiana and he’s running for the GOP nomination for president.  Here is his campaign website.

Anyway, I’ve heard him interviewed several times and one of his (very valid) chief complaints is that he doesn’t have much of a chance in the primaries because media outlets have all kinds of rules as to who they allow to participate in their debates (giving the media waaaaaay too much control over the election process, imho) and he can’t meet them.

But hey, it looks like CNN at least has decided to set those rules aside and to let Rick Perry participate in its next debate on January 19, even though he doesn’t meet their previously-stated criteria either:

CNN now says that Rick Perry is being invited to their debate in South Carolina on January 19, two days before the big primary in which he hopes to make his last stand. This despite the fact that he has not met any of the requirements for participation that CNN made public last week.

“Yes, Gov. Perry will be invited to next week’s CNN debate,” said Edie Emery, director of public relations for Turner Broadcasting Systems, in an e-mail to TPM. “He has met the criteria.”

A follow-up e-mail to Emery, asking which criteria Perry has met, was not immediately returned.

According to CNN’s criteria for inclusion, a candidate must get at least 4th place in either Iowa or New Hampshire, or get 7% support in at least three national Republican or three South Carolina primary polls released in January. The requirements were posted online last Tuesday afternoon, several hours before before the Iowa caucuses began later that night.

Perry came in fifth place in Iowa, and sixth in New Hampshire.

More…

So, if the rules don’t apply to Perry, why do they apply to Roemer?  (CNN is letting Perry in because, in the end, they see this as being about entertainment and ratings (not about informing voters) and Perry will help in those areas.  You know, if he makes another “Oops” gaffe, it’ll be good for a laugh, but who has ever heard of Buddy Roemer?)

I hope Roemer makes an issue out of this.

Entry filed under: 2012 Election, CNN / TimeWarner, Media - General, Republicans, Including Wingers & "Moderates". Tags: buddy roemer, south carolina primary polls.