Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing
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If we are going to have freedom of speech then it has to apply to everyone. Certainly Ron Paul is not my candidate of choice but just because he doesn’t suit my elective tastes does not mean he should be shut out.
Congressman Paul had one helluva weekend, hauling in $4.2 million in what I would call a genius fund raising strategy and if that kind of HISTORIC event should guarantee anything, it should guarantee Ron Paul a seat at the Iowa GOP Debate, but it seems it will not.
The same day that Ron Paul made presidential fund raising history, the Iowa GOP announced that its December 4th Republican Debate in Des Moines Iowa to be aired by Fox News, would only include candidates polling at least 5% in presidential polls.
The move by the Iowa GOP and Fox News to exclude candidates based on polls at this early stage of the presidential race has outraged Ron Paul supporters and may provoke a large demonstration at the site of the debate. Paul supporters feel the move is a deliberate attempt to censor Ron Paul from the debate.
Messages of outrage have been posted on websites and are spreading by email about the debate.
At the current pace of fund raising it is possible that Ron Paul may end up with more cash on hand at the end of the quarter than any of the other candidates running in the Republican primary.
Sean Hannity after the last debate, continually derided Paul supporters and expressed his disbelief in the polls that featured Ron Paul doing well. This past weekend should come with a good helping of crow, but Sean probably could care less. He has other things to lie about.
Democracy only works when all voices are loosed upon the populace. We The People have always done a good job when we hear all sides. When we don’t hear all sides, we get things like the Iraq War, Bush listening to every phone call in America, Rove reading all of our emails, and all the rest of it. When we do not hear all voices, we get the corrupt Congress we have today.
Now, if I could only loosen up Al Gore’s tongue…