Should Ron Paul be allowed at Sunday's debate?

There seems to be a debate going on between Fox News and New Hampshire Republicans over precisely who will participate in this weekend's presidential debate.

Rumor has it that online fundraising sensation and Texas congressman Ron Paul and San Diego congressman Duncan Hunter will be excluded because their N.H. poll numbers are not in double digits, although Paul's fourth quarter fundraising numbers were way into double digits, nearing $20 million, according to his website. In the first 240 minutes of the new year, nearly $11,000 more came in.

Over the weekend a Fox News spokeswoman told Top of the Ticket that the New Hampshire Republican Party was making the choice of candidates to participate in the televised GOP presidential debate on Jan. 6 with Chris Wallace moderating. She even provided the chairman's e-mail: fergus@nhgop.org to confirm that. Alas, the chairman never responded to us.

Then, on Monday, that state party chair, Fergus Cullen, issued a statement saying that limiting candidates was not in the party's tradition, suggesting the media should not be in the ....

business of excluding serious candidates and talks were continuing with Fox.

So whose decision is it?

Understandably, neither side apparently wants to incur the online wrath of Paul's passionate parishioners, who scour the Internet around the clock and descend like locusts on any opportunity to praise Paul or right perceived wrongs on any website or blog they can find. If word got out that Fox/News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch's e-mail was rmurdoch@newscorp.com, his mailbox would be full in a flash.

Paul's supporters have set up a special protest website to marshal support, as well as urge his fervent followers as follows:

"We need to send a message to Fox's Rupert Murdoch & his fellow Neocon buddies that he is not Musharraf and the U.S. is not Pakistan, yet!  Fox News cannot just stifle public opinion, debate and impact a primary election by excluding Ron Paul just because they don't like his message of freedom and liberty. Cover them up with e-mails and they will just say it was a mistake or miscommunication.  Be respectful as all of the e-mail addresses below are just employees trying to keep their jobs with the world's largest media monopoly."

The mainstream media -- or msm -- are a particular target of Paul's vociferous followers, an eclectic mix of libertarians and disaffected Republicans, Democrats and, until now, non-voters. Outspoken to say the least, they disregard stories like this one and this one and this one and this one and this one and this one. They believe that major newspapers and broadcast networks have conspired to pay insufficient attention to Dr. Paul, a 72-year-old ob-gyn and 10-term House member, citing his low numbers in polls, which Paulites believe are self-fulfilling frauds designed to cause voters to invest their votes in more traditional candidates with a seemingly more realistic chance of winning.

Only when these followers, led by a mysterious amateur musician and fundraiser, began making their average $100 campaign donations by the thousands last fall, setting a new one-day online record in excess of $6 million and making Paul the only Republican candidate to increase his donations every quarter in 2007, did the media begin paying attention. But no amount of attention seems sufficient for Paulites, who complain when there is no coverage and then complain again about any coverage they do get. Watch the comments section below.

They gather in chatrooms and more than 1,200 meet-up groups across the country to paint signs, write letters, organize marches and protests, support each other and otherwise promote the Ron Paul Revolution, which they believe will arrive when primary voting starts.

Some 300 young Paul supporters have been in caucus-training camps in Iowa in recent days and are shooting for maybe a stunning third-place there ahead of more famous fellows like John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson. And they hope to possibly do even better in New Hampshire where the state slogan "Live Free or Die" would seem to lend itself to their cause.

But first fights first. Iowa this Thursday. The Fox forum on Sunday. Then on to New Hampshire and beyond, carrying Dr. Paul's antiabortion, antiwar, strict constitutionalist banner.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[Jon]

Excellent story, Rupert murdoch is going to be upset with you....but the Revolution LOVES you.

[Brian]

That was pretty funny Andrew. I must admit, even though you don't paint me, as a Paul support in the best light, I still laughed.

[Keith]

Ron Paul is a threat to both Parties because he is a champion of the Constitution! Therefore people fear him. Let the man debate!

[Jeremy]

Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be allowed at the Fox Forum. Especially Ron Paul, I am biased of course because I am a supporter. But, objectively, In the last USA/Gallup poll conducted on December 19th it showed Ron Paul at 9% tied for 4th with Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson was in last with 4%. Giuliani was at 11%, Paul was within the margin of the error at that being at 9%. So even the polls that underestimate the young support of Ron Paul is accurate, Ron Paul could finish 3rd in New Hampshire. This is a New Hampshire forum, but Huckabee, Giuliani, and Thompson are invited.

There is an underlying person here, not one vote in this country has been casted for the GOP nominee and Ron Paul is being excluded despite possibly being 3rd in the polls in New Hampshire, and before this Ron Paul was showing an upward trend in the state, so two weeks later, who knows where they are at. To exlude Ron Paul just goes to show the biasness of the Fox News Network, and proving to be anything, but Fair & Balanced. Duncan Hunter should be excluded because no candidate should be excluded before the first primary in the country. But, especially Ron Paul given his support in the state SHOULD NOT be excluded.

[Kevin Houston]

Hey thanks!

That was a really fair and objective article; it's nice to see effort pay off.

I, for one, am very heartened by the NH GOP chair's statement denouncing Fox News' decision.

But it does seem to be misplaced for Ron supporters to say that *all* media are biased and unfair. It is beginnning to look more and more that the problem is Faux Snooze.

We will absolutely put an economic hurt on any product or sponsor of that network if this decision is not reversed.

Later

[Talcott]

"Understandably, neither side apparently wants to incur the online wrath of Paul's passionate parishioners, who scour the Internet around the clock and descend like locusts on any opportunity to praise Paul or right perceived wrongs on any website or blog they can find."

Anyone who has a problem with that, might want to get

acclamated to the new paradigm.

And the new word game by MSM, calling Ron's supporters a cult,

will falll to the side just as every other absurd label.(you did it

with aliteration)

Dr. Ron Paul President

Allow me to alter the qoute to be positive(something rarly seen

by the smug Andrew)

Understandably, neither side apparently wants to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and incur the online RESPONSE of Paul's passionate SUPPORTERS, who READ and RESPOND like RATIONAL PEOPLE, on any opportunity to praise Paul or right perceived wrongs on any website or blog THAT is MISREPRESENTING, LYING or PROFILING Dr. Paul.

Ye

[God Bless America!]

Quotes: "But no amount of attention seems sufficient for Paulites, who complain when there is no coverage and then complain again about any coverage they do get." " Watch the comments section below. "

Paulite? I am your fellow american brother or sister
Comments? You've said enough for all to view.

[jOHNNYwRATH]

We'll see in 2 days..polls are worthless.

"War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is, revolution is when you decide that for yourself."

[Tom]

Ron Paul does not fit the FAUX news agenda. http://youtube.com/watch?v=J8oO_OD3PtI

[Wesley]

This is good journalism and I would just like to thank you for reporting the facts and not add any personal opinions like your idiotic colleagues have been doing. As a American who believes in freedom, I believe all Presidential candidate's messages should be heard on a level playing field. This blatant censorship by Fox News only serves to demonize the media, particularly Fox News at the moment. Either they reconsider or fact a huge backlash. Hint to ABC, NBC, and CNN, and CBS: Fox News is primed for the kill.

[Steve Wimer]

I'm voting for Ron Paul. I'm certainly not impressed with the Neocons, phony conservatives who took the conservation out of the Republican party with overspending on a losing war and underfunding environmental protection. President Bush is a freaking idiot. The Democratic party has swung too far to the left, again, to earn my vote, catering to illegal aliens.

[Amfortas]

I haven't been invited either. No competent, truthful people are running in this election. To a man and a woman they are all corrupt and anti-male. The American chap is just not represented.

American manhood is being whittled away, jailed, villified, falsely accused, families taken from them, livlihoods ruined. And no politician is even slightly concerned that American society is disintegrating.

The 'Family' is being systematically destroyed in America; men, the balwark of freedom, are being replaced by State officials. Power is residing, not in 'We the People', but in we, the corrupt rent-seeking scum.

Vote #1 Amfortas. I am running on the 'Durn Furriner' ticket, as it seems there are no American nationals who seem to want to step forward to stop the decline of America, and far too many incompetent, corrupt scum hogging the stage.

They want the power and the money. I want Justice and Truth and Integrity for the American People. See my interview on MensNewsDaily.

Vote #1 Amfortas.

[ThomasJ]

I do not have a problem with the LA times. You guys are one of the few actually "Fair and Balanced" media outlets I have seen. I have read through some of your other articles on other candidates.

When we speak of main stream media bias it is usually CNN, CBS, FNC, PBS etc.... There are a few newspapers that are blatant in their bias.

A media outlet that is privately owned has every right to be as biased as they see fit. They should not act like they are not biased though.

That is the big problem with Fox, They are horribly biased for the war-mongering neo-cons. Then they ring that slogan in "Fair and Balanced" yadda yadda

If CNN wants to shove Democrats down people's throats that is fine. They shouldn't on the other hand act like they are not doing just that. (YouTube debate anyone?)

LA times? You guys are in the clear as far as this Ron Paul Revolutionary is concerned. I don't agree with everything you guys print but at least you try and get the facts strait which is more than I can say for the ones listed above.

[Robert Paul]

Mr. Malcolm,

Your post contains many statements about Ron Paul supporters that don't apply to all of them. For example, you wrote, "They believe that major newspapers and broadcast networks have conspired to pay insufficient attention to Dr. Paul..."

Some of them believe this, but some do not. Maybe your assumption is understandable given your focus on the comments here, but it isn't fair to paint all Ron Paul supporters with a broad brush.

(Good point, Robert. Did not mean to do that, but can see how you might think so.)

[Anthony]

Almost "Fair and balanced"... You left out a few things, like the fact that Fred Thompson is only polling at 3% in New Hampshire and he was invited to the forum...oops, forgot that fact. The fact that news organizations depend on polls that are admittedly unreliable and unscientific shows their lack of credibility as true sources of facts. As far as the speculation that Paul's followers will never be satisfied: We will be satisfied when the media stops treating Ron Paul like a sub-par candidate and gives him respect, which is rare. For a long time, people would chuckle at the mention of his name in an elitist snob fashion. This is what sets off Paul supporters and all they want is some good media coverage instead of media coverage on brothel owners and white supremacist donations. I guess honesty isn't for sale in our country anymore.

[a Rocket Scientist]

I'm unfamiliar with the LA times? Does the LA time print this Blog in it's newspaper? This one, and this one, and this one and this one too are blogs. Only one article in print in Los Angles.

Where were all the articles about all the Republican Straw Polls? Lots of articles about what ignorant voters who aren't paying attention to the primaries being able to pick a name they recognize. (MSM polls) None about all the Republican Straw Polls?

Where were all the articles about the Republican Debates, and who won those debates as indicated by the post-debate polls of the few viewers who watched them?

With Google news, the number of MSM articles about Ron Paul has been almost nonexistent when compared to other MSM darlings. 35000 articles about Mike Huckabee last month, only 9000 articles about "Ron Paul". Most of which are "also running is Ron Paul"

The MSM is giving huge political donations to certain candidates, far more than anything raised by any candidate. This huge political donation is in the billions of dollars of air time, masquerading as news. In violations of FCC and FEC, they have violated the public trust and elections laws, by giving massive donations to certain candidates. Just like many corporations donate to both parties, or both candidates in the general election, it's all about getting this for that. Buying influence.

Ron Paul's web site got 56% of all the Republican Candidates web sites last week. 38% of all web traffic to any candidates web site last week, Democrat or Republican. If the MSM was upholding the public trust to inform the public about their choices in the primaries, these numbers would be so high.

(Well, you found one more item on Ron Paul right here, which is not unusual. Gotta start somewhere, eh?)

[Louis Nardozi]

You may wonder WHY we're so fervent. Read below for explanation.

The dollar slid across the board on Friday as data showing a 9 percent decline in sales of new U.S. homes last month heightened concern about the economy, putting the greenback on track for its worst week in more than a year.
The housing report, which was weaker than economists had expected, also bolstered the case for more Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2008. Earlier this week, the S&P/Case-Shiller index showed a record decline in U.S. home prices in October.

This is what's happening to YOUR house. All the 'money' and 'equity' you thought you had saved - eliminated! The equity through falling house prices - and the money because we are DEBASING OUR CURRENCY. That low fed rate you're reading about gets created by printing money and lending it to people. With more money, the money YOU have is worth LESS. So your money is worth less and your property is worth less - where can you turn to keep ahead of inflation? I think you BETTER turn to Dr. Paul. He's the ONLY one running that has a HOPE of being able to deal with this.

[Brian]

"If word got out that Fox/News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch's e-mail was rmurdoch@newscorp.com, his mailbox would be full in a flash."

That's cute, but dishonest.

You're intention is to spam Murdoch. So instead of just coming out and saying, "Hey, I hate Murdoch, let's spam him. Here's his email address!" you adopt this passive-aggressive, too cute by half approach.

Another note: If Andrew Malcolm knows it, you can be sure that that's not the address Murdoch actually uses. It's more likely a dumpbox, read by no one, meant precisely to channel PaulBots and other freaks.

[Joshua Frye]

Um. Did he just give us Rupert Murdoch's Email?

I feel a little bad for his secretary. Though, not at all for him. Had Murdoch any sense of "Fair and Ballanced" he might earn the respect that cannot be bought... and we would all respect Fox News instead of mocking it. It's too bad many American's are intelligent AND moral.

If, however, this country is not smart enough to see through Media propaganda and false polling practices, then perhaps they deserve the Bush's and Clinton's of the world.

[MacTaggart]

Andrew, I don't care what anybody says...you're a good egg.

[Aaron]

A better question would be does America deserve Ron Paul?
It is time people this is where the rubber hits the road. It's time to prey for your enemies and thank God for the blessings of wisdom that will fill the borders of USA. I believe in Americans maybe more than they believe in themselves. I know the past has been checkered. The best way to right the past is today. You know "No time like the present to cure the future" OK I love Americans there full of life and nectar they put smiles on faces and cure the common cold. That is what i believe "God" made Americans, not for unjust wars or helping corporations kill their own, so it's time........
Fight America God has given you a leader that can bring the promised land to earth, so join him and fight with and pray for him, give thanks for him and do what any good American would do. I believe in America my neighbor my brother and my best friend. With love from Aaron in Calgary

[Tim]

"Texas congressman Ron Paul and San Diego congressman Duncan Hunter will be excluded because their N.H. poll numbers are not in double digits"

Paul has consistantly polled above Fred Thompson - so polling numbers cannot be the reason.

Thanks for the coverage! (Freedom is popular and unifying, but Paul supporters have a wide range of opinion on media coverage and other topics)

(Agreed.)

[Aaron]

A better question would be does America deserve Ron Paul?
It is time people this is where the rubber hits the road. It's time to prey for your enemies and thank God for the blessings of wisdom that will fill the borders of USA. I believe in Americans maybe more than they believe in themselves. I know the past has been checkered. The best way to right the past is today. You know "No time like the present to cure the future" OK I love Americans there full of life and nectar they put smiles on faces and cure the common cold. That is what i believe "God" made Americans, not for unjust wars or helping corporations kill their own, so it's time........
Fight America God has given you a leader that can bring the promised land to earth, so join him and fight with and pray for him, give thanks for him and do what any good American would do. I believe in America my neighbor my brother and my best friend. With love from Aaron in Calgary

[Pliny]

All candidates should be allowed to participate and participate equally, especially before a single real vote has been cast. I'm tired of the media trying to shape public opinion with polls (by giving polling data so much emphasis while still commenting on how people aren't paying attention) and by censoring messages that the media doesn't like (I'm looking at you, O'Riley, Hannity, etc...).

(Well, to be fair, polls, which are just momentary advance snapshots in time, are all there is until the real votes come in, which will be soon. And this forum isn't censored, except for obscenity, etc. Welcome and thanks for reading.)

[Wolfgang]

Dear Andrew:
Are mainstream media companies run as businesses? In-arguably yes.
Do you believe that the mainstream media has an affect on our perception of the candidates? I do.
Do you believe that if the mainstream media did have an affect on our perception of the candidates, 'it' would use that affect to champion a candidate that enhances 'its' bottom line? I certainly do.
Ultimately, this presidential election cycle is going to cost any mainstream media company that pushes an agenda a huge amount in the long run. It is bad business for the mainstream media companies to try to fool the internet generation.
I can't wait to watch the fallout.

(Well, Wolfgang, you certainly have a wider range of choices to obtain your information with the internet now. Glad you chose to read ours. Thanks. Hope to see you and your thoughtful comment again.)

[John]

As a Ron Paul supporter I must say I found the information you provided to be quite useful and delivered in a manner that caused me to smile.

Oh, and yes I have been up all night scouring the internet.

Happy New Year.

(Same to you. As you can tell by the posting time, I wasn't exactly out partying either. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. Hope to see you back here.)

[Geoffrey Kassin]

Dear Sir

As for this weekends debate why would you want disclude any body who can raise $6,000,000 in one day, why would you want to disclude anybody who still considers them selves a candidate, why would you want to disenfranchise a potential 75,000 - 90,000 viewers. If Fox got behind Ron Paul they would triple there viewers overnight not just Ron Paul supporters but all those viewers that Bill O.riley has offended, all those viewers whose intelligence are continually insulted would all turn back to Fox plus you would keep all your ditto heads. Can't you sell more air time for more money if you get more viewers? What could Fox possibly fear from Ron Paul getting elected isn't he for less government interference in big business?

Get behind Ron Paul Fox, (Rupert Murdoch) and you could make all those other media moguls look like tiny network affiliates.

Geoffrey Kassin
Petoskey, Michigan

Ron Paul 2008

[AndrewInNH]

Thank you for your attention to this issue, Foxes exclusion of candidates from the debate in a race that is still undecided is something that as an American and a Republican I would expect from a state run communist media outlet in some poor country.

The republicans I know are excited to have a candidate that draws much new blood and broadens and diversifies the party. Many of Ron Pauls supporters come from academia and colleges, and peace activist groups, which both have traditionally leaned towards Demcratic candidates.

Fox obviously has an agenda, and that is pushing Rupert Murdoch's desired candidate, Giuliani. This candidate will:

Ban guns and disarm Americans in compliance with the UN's desires.

Create National ID cards. Can you say papers please?

Expand the war drastically by invading Iran and then probably Syria and who knows where else? With this increase in intensity while troops are stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan a draft will almost become inevitable.

Disarming a population, enforcing national ID's and expanding military conquest all happened before in Germany in the guise of patriotism post-versaille treaty and I think we can all deduce what it led too. We should truly look at Foxes agenda and what they are pushing for Americans in the post 9/11 atmosphere. Their use of buzzwords and attacks on peoples patriotism who question the war as being against the troops cater to emotions instead of promoting rational thought.

Dr. Pauls attempts to re-evaluate terrorism and why certain people hate the US has been painted as weakness and anti-Americanism (ie Giuliani's comments insinuating that Ron Paul was suggesting Americans were responsible for 9/11). Empathy is a powerful tool for predicting peoples behaviour and the concept of blowback is very real.. 10 Years of sanctions against Iraq has angered a lot of people who's economy and hospital system collapsed. This was all made possible in part to the existence of airbases in Saudi Arabia. Makes sense that they would hate us in these circumstances doesn't it? Yet when Ron Paul uses empathy and reason he is portrayed by Fox as sympathetic. There is a huge difference between empathy and sympathy.

Ron Paul's base of support stems from critically thinking, free minded individuals who are intelligent enouigh to see through propaganda and Fox's pandering to emotions. Intelligence and cool-headed calculation and reason are why I am voting for Ron Paul. His views and policies are simple and minimallistic yet he can debate them in a sophisticated and rich manner filled with historical citation and precedent. No other candidate speaks to us with the same regard for our intelligence as Dr. Paul. Self sufficeincy and freedom are his platform. Wishing you all peace and prosperity in 2008 - Andrew In Nashua, NH

(I wonder who you're voting for Jan. 8. And thanks for visiting our site and taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment.)

[Mark Thompson]

Like any new forum the internet is the property of the few and vocal. In years to come the established main stream will adopt it and finally all will accept the internet as the preferred free speech medium.
Dr Ron Paul is the first significant beneficiary of this freedom of expression. So if we sound vociferous, or appear eclectic or disaffected tough get use to it!!!! Were only growing....

[Steve Grycel]

Thank you Mr. Malcolm. I didn't have Ruper's email before.

[Charles Held]

Mr. Malcolm, your sentence with all those "this one" links is rather disingenuous since it points to BLOG POSTS instead of PRINT ARTICLES. The L.A. Times is (I'm sure you're aware) first and foremost a NEWSPAPER, and I can assure you that Ron Paul has been woefully UNDER-reported in the Times's principal medium: print.

This is similar to ABCNews's decision to restrict John Stossel's multi-part interview with Dr. Paul to its website, abandoning plans to broadcast it on 20/20.

(Don't forget, Charles, Stossel's longform interview is now available 24/7 online for all to sample anytime, like these blog items. If it had been on TV, you'd get maybe 2 mins, then it's gone forever. You miss it, you lose. Hardly disineguous for us. That's what this is, a blog, and what we do, blog on it. There have been other print articles, tho not dozens like blog items. Don't control TV either. But then we've done nearly 1,100 politics items since June, a lot more politics than the newspaper has printed. And the other day just one of those blog items had nearly a half-million readers, a lot more than any single newspaper story would ever get. Anyway, I thought the old print journalism was dying and the new more democratic form of communication was online. So here we are and here you are. And you can hardly get such an instant opportunity to express yourself as here. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.)

[W.Stonebraker]

"Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them."

Mr. Malcolm, your bio makes an impression that leads me to believe you should be adoring the story of Americans taking an iniative, mustering bands of otherwise opposed philosophies into one force. My life is but 38 years in the running, I tell you though, I've not ever witnessed such a swell of not to be denied support being lent to, not just a candidate...but the notion of being empowered to seize the proverbial rudder and better control one's own course through waters infested with corrupt federal sharks.
You're going to have to dig around to realize, it's about America, not Ron Paul.
btw...Nader never came close to being endowed with such broad spectrum support.
Good New Year to you Mr. Malcolm.

(Same to you and thanks for reading.)

[Marine]

They believe that major newspapers and broadcast networks have conspired to pay insufficient attention to Dr. Paul, a 72-year-old ob-gyn and 10-term House member, citing his low numbers in polls, which Paulites believe are self-fulfilling frauds designed to cause voters to invest their votes in more traditional candidates with a seemingly more realistic chance of winning.

Where do you get your information? What a buch of horse manuer! Another no name blogger who knows that ripping on the American people who support Dr. Paul will bring comments to his never read bloge. Get a life buddy.

(Hey, Marine, you sure you're reading the same blog item everyone else is? Of course, you can always go read "all the other many blog items about Dr. Paul", if you can find them and such a free forum as this.)

[1440 minutes]

Of course, Dr. Paul should be included in Sunday's forum. He is polling higher than Fred Thompson is, and the polls do not even capture Dr. Paul's demographic of cell phone users.

Did you know that the Fred Thompson campaign failed to get Fred's name on the ballot in DC and Delaware? That's right: residents of DC and Delawareans will not see Fred Thompson's name on the ballot for the primaries. Yet Fred Thompson has been invited to the Fox News forum on Sunday, and Dr. Paul has been excluded.

What reason could Fox News have to exclude Dr. Paul? That he is too conservative? That he opposes the Iraq War?

By the way, the music promoter that you mentioned does not lead us. No one does. We lead ourselves. God bless.

[Justin]

I think it is a shame that Dr. Paul isn't slated to participate in the debates. I think it's important that his message get out. There are still millions of people who do not know who Dr. Ron Paul is or that he is even running because the press seems to focus on the big three Republican candidates, even though Dr. Paul is shown to be well ahead of Guiliani in some polls. It was nice to see Glen Beck focus on Dr. Paul for an entire hour. In this day and age, people cannot understand Dr. Paul's position by hearing 20 second sound bites. It's easy to understand other candidate's positions in 20 seconds because they merely seem to be attacking one another. That's not Dr. Paul's message. Thanks for the well written article.

[Dorothy]

Fox, owned by oligarch Rupert Murdoch, is the most flagrant of the media propaganda machines, but even so, it will back down when confronted by the tens of thousands of Ron Paul supporters who are rebelling against the mismanagement and deceptions of the power structure in this country. Paulists will not stop the activism until we have returned to a stable currency, humanitarian and realistic foreign policy, and dismantled the Washington mega-bureaucracy. More and more people are realizing that Dr Paul is a true leader. The truth is very popular and the men behind the curtain are scared.

[Dan Patrick]

Dr. Paul is not antiabortion. Paul is personally pro-life, however, he is anti-federal government-involved abortion. He would leave the abortion issue to the States. As it should be.

[CoachNY]

From the disrespectful way Paul supporters treated supporters of other candidates at the Iowa Straw Poll to the way they are off-topic and ornery in the comment section of nearly every political post you can find, Ron Paul supporters are largely annoying. If we think there's any connection between the candidate and the type of people who find him/her appealing, Ron Paul must be a lunatic. :-)

[Curtis]

Thank you for this very insightful and wonderful post. We complain so much because it's so apparent to us that many reporters don't do their fact checking before reporting on Ron Paul. You obviously have done your homework and I commend you on it.

That being said, I would like to direct your view at incontrovertible proof of media bias at CNN this morning. They reported the results of the Des Moines Register Iowa poll. They neglected to show Paul's 9% showing even though they showed Rudy at 5% along with everyone else. This is obvious bias when they don't report about the 3 way tie for 3rd place. It makes you wonder how they look at themselves in the mirror and go to work. MSNBC does the same sort of thing when they report on polls.

[Paul Francis]

I find it hard to believe that Fox would be excluding Paul because they truly believe he is an insignificant part of this election process. Firstly, as you rightly mentioned, Paul will most likely end up having raised the most money for the 4th quarter. His increase in funds each quarter is nothing short of astounding. His entire support base has practically had to be referred to him by a friend or aquaintance, or via the internet, which makes the fundraising even more remarkable.

People who work in politics are well aware of the factors which influence people to vote for someone. A certain percentage will only vote for the favourite, as they want to be a 'winner' (sad but true). A larger percentage will only vote for, or even look into, a 'front runner'- as designated by early polls. Of course this means anyone with low name recognition is almost doomed from the beginning. What should happen, in a fair media system, would be for the media to pay EXTRA attention to those candidates who show dramatic improvement. Huckabee certainly deserves a lot of attention, but so does Paul now.

Another interesting thing is gambling odds. Readers may want to think about the significance of these odds as those that set them are in a position solely to be accurate enough to make money. People will no doubt be surprised that Ron Paul is now one of the 'favourites' to win the presidency. Would you know that by watching Fox? I rest my case.

[dinarte m. desousa]

RON PAUL SHOULD DE ALLOWED AT SUNDAY'S DEBATE,BECOUSE ALL THE PRE. CONDIDATES HAVE SHOUD HAVE EQUAL RIGHT'S TO BE ON THE DEBATE.

[Scott Kendall]

I think the people not the polls should count. If they look at Iowa poll numbers Rudy could not be in the NH debate. Stop the coporate take over of the elections.

Scott

[Jeanette Doney]

Allowed? Should an American citizen, a respected Dr., congressman, a competitive candidate for president be "allowed" to debate?

Maybe this question should go to the Supreme Court?

[Wes Akley]

As a US Marine Veteran - I am sick to my stomach knowing that a select few CONTROL the elections. "we the people" need to take America back.

research all political canidates and give them all a fair chance. 60% of the public hasn't even looked into Ron Paul or other canidates unless the mass media tells them to. Stop being SHEEP>

[Les F]

If Ron Paul is excluded it proves how far the military/media industrial complex controls our lives at every level. It's bad enough that the top echelon of both parties are complicit in spending this country into economic slavery to the international banking system - $9,000,000,000,000 worth and counting. As an educated and well read American, Ron Paul represents one of the few chances that are presented in history to change course - Like Lec Walesa in Poland or Nelson Mandela in South Africa. One man CAN make a difference - Ron Paul is that man if the people can see through the media lies and bias.

[Rupert]

"If word got out that Fox/News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch's e-mail was rmurdoch@newscorp.com, his mailbox would be full in a flash."

Andrew, for the Love of God what did I ever do to deserve this ?
Publishing my email address in full view of the Paulites is worse than waterboarding me.

R. Murdoch

[Nefario]

--Andrew, You give Ron Paul ink. What more could anyone ask for? Lets face it, in the "image is everything" world that we live in, Ron Paul is a misfit. Everyone knows that the guy with the best hair wins. But somehow he seems to have gotten it right. He has hit a nerve. He has a knack for saying things that a lot of people seem to be thinking, at a time when people see their freedom shrinking. I like the fact that he shakes up the status quo. His message is clear. He's consistent. People aren't buying the scare tactics anymore. The Dems and the Repugs are the same party! It comes down to Guns and Abortions... At least RP lays it on the line. Kinda like you. Your the best friend The Doc has on the west coast. Keep ignoring him... Nefario

[Rick Young]

The author of this article seemed more interested to be critical of RP's supporters than offer an opinion about RP's inclusion/exclusion to Fox's NH round table event.

You know, you won't get someone like RP nominated/elected in this country if your supporters are not emotional and charged up about their guy. This is a revolution of sorts, though I think the use of that word probably lost some support for RP. How else can they get attention for their man???

[Bob C]

You forgot to mention Ron Paul leads in straw poll victories.
Since that's the case...apparently Straw Polls and post debate polls (he's won most of those too) don't count huh?

Fox News is a blatant cheerleader for everything that limits liberty under the guise of protecting "freedom". We already have a freedom guide..it's called the Constitution.....more "top tier" candidates should read it.

I think we need a Revolution...a Ron Paul Revolution.

GOOGLE RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT 2008 ...JOIN US.

[Dan Farrington]

There are very reasonable explanations for why the polls don't reflect (and have never really reflected) reality. You don't need a conspiracy to explain everything that is wrong with government and media.

In this particular case, you must look at how the polls are taken. They claims they are polling "likely Republican voters" but they don't tell you how they determine that. In most cases, they are polling lists of people that went to the previous election cycle's primaries.

The problem on the Republican side is that in '04, Bush was a wartime incumbent shoe-in and the primary attendance was at a record low. The only people who bothered to show up to poll were loyal Bushies, and that ever shrinking crowd does not represent the majority of the Republican party. So these polls have a faulty test sample.

They also don't take into account young Republicans, Independents, converted Democrats, cell-phone Republicans, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, and first time voters.

The groups above constitute a larger majority of Paul's support that the types of Republicans polled and in each of those categories nationwide, Paul is absolutely dominating compared to other Republicans. His true numbers are at least 250% larger than what the polls are stating.

I am very disappointed that msm continues to show these polls, because they are notoriously inaccurate and have no journalistic value. Plus, there is the moral issue that these polls DO AFFECT the voting and have been shown to be able to devastate a candidate's support.

MSM should report the news, not create it. Its paper and stations need for filler, to say something that appears substantive, something that will draw in more ratings has overcome their journalistic integrity.

You don't need a conspiracy to explain what simple human greed and intellectual laziness can do on their own.

[Charles Jensen]

Ron Paul should definitely not be allowed in the debate. He consistently sings solo and of a tune of his own choosing. He seems not a wit interested in joining in and being a member of the parrot choir. A disruptive figure, such as Mr. Paul, will strike a discordant note and ruin the harmony of The Parrots.

[David Lang]

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
'Mahatma Gandhi'

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life, devoid of breadth.
'Martin Luther King'

Dr. Ron Paul is the only leader that can save America now. If you are a real patriotic American you should ignore FOX and the GOP leaders. Go out and vote for him. FOX and the GOP leaders are all one of the same. They perfectly complement each other.

[TONY SACCO]

yes ron paul should be heard

[Megan]

As Americans, we should be proud that people who support Ron Paul are taking the time to become involved in the political process. It may sometimes be a little over zealous but at least these people CARE ... which is more than we can say for most Americans...

(There are thousands equally involved in other campaigns, but generally excellent point, Megan. Thanks for reading.)

[Kenneth Biegel]

"Only when these followers, led by a mysterious amateur musician and fundraiser, began making their average $100 campaign donations by the thousands last fall, setting a new one-day online record in excess of $6 million and making Paul the only Republican candidate to increase his donations every quarter in 2007, did the media begin paying attention."

There was media coverage before the first money bomb. For example, Bill Maher, ABC This Week, Jon Stewart, and many others. Of course, it increased tremendously after the money bombs. It's a shame that the major press outlets will not prick up their ears until the sound of money is heard.

In the case of Ron Paul, however, the message has been consistent for a long time and a lot of his supporters have been aware of it for years. Frankly, I first became familiar with him in 2002 when he began protesting against the build up to war with Iraq. Since September of that year, I have been a supporter of Ron Paul, Scott Ritter, Justin Raimondo, Scott Horton (the talkshow host), and anyone else who spoke truth while the major press helped lead us to war.

Go Ron Paul and all the other speakers of truth.

[Joe Citizen]

I'm not sure what integrity is, but I'm convinced a good example is when someone stands behind their views and is consistent in their actions and behavior for not just the moment, but throughout their entire life.

I also believe if you can't get the job done, you won't last very long in your current position.

WHO exactly is a person who can successfully be a Congressman for over 20 years?

WHAT hidden motives could a person who delivers one baby let alone 4,000 have?

WHEN someone steps up to successfully don a military uniform to serve their nation, should we pause and show concern where their loyalties are?

WHY would anyone raise a large sum of money from a massive audience of supporters?

HOW is it that there are individuals who do support a process which weakens our country and national security, while wasting billions of dollars, costing us the lives of U.S. Military service members in the process, and letting illegal immigration negatively affect and impact us all?

Thankfully, there are a far greater number of loyal citizens who do not just desire, but demand change from more of the same and are proactive about doing what it takes to make our great nation strong again, and all the while adhering to existing laws, getting our folks in the military killed, or forcing us into massive debt in the process.

I may not agree with, or share everyone’s views and opinions, but I'm also proud to be an American Citizen who became a disabled veteran supporting and defending the U.S. Constitution, and a set of principles I hold in my heart and mind to this day.

And while I may not agree with or support everything Ron Paul may say or do, I have nothing to fear from him either and say let him participate in all current and future debates.

Besides, all the legitimate candidates have nothing to fear. They all have strong morale compasses; with sound messages supported by all, who’ve never let multiple interest groups sway their opinions, and best of all have never flip flopped on issues or have actions and behavior that cause us to pause with second thoughts or concern.

[vanessa]

You mention that Ron Paul wasn't invited because his NH numbers aren't in double digits. However, what you forget to mention is that Fred Thompson is BEHIND Ron Paul in the NH polls, but Thompson is invited. How do you explain that one? See link below.
http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/2008/new-hampshire.html

(I don't have to explain it. Not my debate. I'm pointing the exclusion out. Thanks for reading.)

[Erik K]

I watched Penn and Teller and they interviewed a man that makes polls for different groups. He said it is all about how you ask the question and how the answers are given out will effect the results. Where I live allot of people know about Ron Paul and want him to win. I still have to meet a person who says out loud that they are going to vote for Rudy or Mitt??
Is this just posted on the blog or will this show up in your newspaper?

(This is a blog. That is the newspaper. It publishes excerpts of a few blog articles each Sunday, which also appear here on our Campaign 08 page online, and all of our nearly 1,100 articles are here 24/7 for anyone to read and comment on, which is not the case with any newspaper.)

[cecil]

"Fergus Cullen, issued a statement saying that limiting candidates was not in the party's tradition, suggesting the media should not be in the ....

business of excluding serious candidates and talks were continuing with Fox"

Here's to Fergus! Screw Fox Entertainment, the revolution will not be televised!

[Ward Ciac]

This is a fine article. Andrew Malcolm and the LA Times staff are what journalists should be like. I live in NJ, but the LA Times has become one of my main news stops on the internet.

[Brian M.]

Great article Mr. Malcolm!

Welcome to the R3volution!

[bill parkhurst]

Absolutely!

[TOM NYC]

Thanks for the e-mail address.

[John in FL]

Andrew,

I appreciate your recognition on Ron Paul. Clearly you follow Dr. Paul as closely if not more closely than some of his supporters do. The fact that this debate is occurring in N.H. prior to voting occurring in N.H. is the reason why the Ron Paul grassroots is up in arms.

Many voters will not be paying attention to any kind of "news" or politics until days or even hours before its time to vote. This puts the T.V. business in a very powerful position. Whether or not people support Ron Paul and at what percentages is not the reason why many of us are so upset.

I personally feel that it time for integrity to be restored to America. In particular, I feel that companies like Newscorp abuse their powerful position by censoring viable candidates and viable messages. The old media (newspapaers, T.V. and radio) has cornered the market on information and dissemination of information for a very long time. This must change.

Through the internet, people like me who have been aware of this information scam for years (I dumped my T.V. set and subscriptions to cable over 5 years ago) are ready to usher in the age of free flowing information with absent of profits. Take a look at the open source software community and you will see the future of broadcasting and journalism.

There simply is no real profit left in controlling the news anymore. Like Dr. Paul said, Fox news is a propaganda machine and I liken what Fox news and the rest of their "competitors" to the large for profit software firms who are losing ground to free and open source coding of new software.

This is the opening battle to the public outcry at large. This issue goes way beyond Ron Paul. Remember what happened to Ralph Nader? How long do you think this monopoly over information is going to last? Fox news and the private companies have reached peak profits and squeezed all they can out of cornering the information market.

The backlash over manipulating our political process will not stop with people losing their jobs and profits being severely cut. I imagine that when Murdoch et al. realize what is happening, they will make another power grab at the net, and one day I may not have the freedom to make a response to a truly Fair and Balanced article like this. When that day comes, We the People will be forced into a corner and in that case we will continue to look to the Constitution for our remedy.

Respectfully,

John in FL.

[MarkCinPhx]

Thank you for the information in this article.

I find it disturbing that the powers that be are trying to exclude active nationally known candidates from a still early discussion on candidate views. I also find it interesting that noone is willing to admit to making a decision as to who to be excluded. Dr. Paul is making many people uncomfortable, and they want him to go away, but they don't have the gusto to stand up and say that. There's something, you know, un-AMERICAN about that.

For myself, I feel that Dr. Paul brings important issues to the national discussion. His belief in smaller government, and a return to the federal government following the constitution more closely are important issues to be discussed. He shouldn't be excluded from this debate.

[NH_GOP]

Um I hate to tell you but Fred is about 2% here in NH so this is a LAME EXCUSE.

Furthermore, if you take all RPs support and not just landline polling, I am sure he would be in the double digits.

[Sage]

Get over yourself, buddy.

[mahdee]

Land of the Free?

[Ralph Hare]

I've lost faith and trust in mainstream media and much alternative media sources. Their frivolous and inaccurate reporting on Dr. Paul, his principles and the views of his campaign reveal these sources as nothing more than controllers of information. While Murdoch's games at FOX don't surprise me, the blatant attacks on Dr. Paul by "Left Media" such as Democracy Now, NPR or online blogs such as the Daily Kos have astounded me. I would have thought that a message that includes immediate cessation of the War and individual liberty would have congealed these "Left" sources, but I guess they too have "interests" to serve who are different than the publics' interest.

[Fritz Baumler]

Yes. No question about it. Even if Dr. Paul is not allowed to participate I think the media will all be in a state of shock when he wins the NH primary.

[Mista Armageddon]

You listed a few news articles where "Ron Paul was mentioned." Even CNN acknowledged that Dr. Paul is getting nowhere NEAR the coverage other candidates are getting. I think it was somewhere around 20x more for other candidates...including HUCKABEE. If you remember correctly, Huckabee only started to have a 'chance' and a huge raise in the polls, after the bombardment of him and his message on the MSM. Before that, he was no different from Ron Paul in the polls.

(Actually, to be honest, Huckabee started getting more media attention AFTER he started rising in the polls that no one here likes very much. He's still only drawing a fraction of the financial support of others including Dr. P.)

In most occasions when the MSM interviews Dr. Paul, it is all nothing more than trying to poke holes in his arguments, or tell him he's wrong in this/that, while with other candidates a question is asked, they respond with their view on it. They attack Dr. Paul and try to make him seem wrong in everything he does.

The reason everyone is upset is because Dr. Paul raised more money than all other candidates, without lobbying. From over 230,000 individual donors last quarter! Reaching close to 20 million in donations. He receives the most donations from Military families. He has won over 80% of all straw polls after debates, which is never mentioned. He is currently leading the 'hack and spam-proof AOL Straw Poll (google it)" - Yet he gets not even 10% the coverage that other candidates get.

He is being Ignored, and Attacked when he is not. That is why people are upset. That is what you need to understand. People are opening their eyes and seeing that True Freedoms are an illusion in this country as of late, and they want to make a change. They want to save the country that they love.

Yours Truly,

Canadian Ron Paul Supporter.

[Darryl Schmitz]

Hmmm... Well, I happen to believe that this is a case of the media making biased decisions about coverage based on flawed statistical data. So I'd say you know, the ethical journalist would want to err on the side of caution and include all of the remaining candidates. That the "mobile studio" isn't big enough is a truly lame excuse. Also, Fred Thompson is polling much worse in NH than is Ron Paul. Looks like the Fox "fix" is in.

[Kevin Southwick]

Given Ron Paul's record-breaking fundraising and his unusually effective ranks of supporters and his immaculate Congressional record, he should be in the debates. Fox excluding Ron Paul can only be considered a black out of his message rather than a paring down to top tier. I plan to note all Fox advertisers and boycott them, as I do Disney for its manipulative ABC News. Fox = Pravda!!! a state-owned style mouthpiece for the abusive state!

[Fritz Baumler]

Yes. No question about it. Even if Dr. Paul is not allowed to participate I think the media will all be in a state of shock when he wins the NH primary.

[William Drake]

Should I be complaining about this example of "press" that RP is getting? ;)

:)

[sherrie]

do we need any more proof that we are owned and our choices are made by the big business that owns us? this is suppose to be a nation run 'by the people for the people'. ron paul is the only person running with enough integrity to want to give us our country back. i will only vote for the restoration of america and that can only be done with RON PAUL as president.

[H E Garbow]

In a free world and a free country all participants of an election should be allowed to debate. The last 2 elections have been mucky and now a third. I don't think the American people will stand for it.

Why doesn't Murdock just pick somebody and we don't have to bother with elections. Is that where we are going?

[Dave]

I support Ron Paul and I appreciate your editorial. Because it is your opinion, I cannot take serious issue with the obvious bias with which it was written. None the less, everyone is afforded the freedom of speech in this country and I for one never want to trample on that right. I do not ascribe to the belief that there is a coordinated conspiracy working against the Ron Paul candidacy, but I do believe that the current "system" is biased towards potential candidates who question the status-quo and might rock the boat a bit too much. When I say "system" I am referring to everything that makes up our current election apparatus, from 24-hour news networks to national polls to circus side-show debates. These functions do nothing more to enlighten us about a particular candidate's qualifications. Instead, they focus on the movement in the polls. It seems that these polls are the bedrock of our election process. This disturbs me greatly. Again, thank you for your article.

(You're welcome. My job. Thanks for reading. To be fair, it takes a lot of work in this political system to cause change and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Hard work, true. But not bad. It tests the new ways and accepts them only over time when a majority comes around, which is better than a series of generals pulling off coup after coup.)

[13]

hahaha. Did you actually pay for your schooling to be a "journalist"? If I were you I would demand a refund.

[JanetP]

With no disrespect to the candidate or his supporters, it is time to narrow the field of candidates to a number that will promote a meaningful debate on the issues. A debt of gratitude is owed to Dr. Paul for his willingness to enter the race. His presence has sparked the spirited participation of supporters who will surely turn their support to another candidate.

Reality must be faced; the race is coming (and it should) down to the first tier candidates. Despite the impressive amounts of money raised, Dr. Paul must face the reality that his poll numbers are not moving with the same fervor. He should end his campaign but remain a strong voice for his issues.

[politicalsanity]

If it is true that they are excluding Ron Paul because of his not polling above in double digits in New Hampshire, they should also exclude Rudy Giuliani (9% in the latest ARG poll) and Fred Thompson (3% in ARG and Rasmussen, 4% in LA Times/Bloomberg). Ron Paul is polling HIGHER than Fred Thompson in all 3 polls and is within the margin of error reaching Mike Huckabee.

[James]

How long can this continue? What more do the people of the US have to do to say we think Ron Paul is a worthy candidate? He leads in almost EVERYTHING, with the exception of the 'scientific polls' I hear 'Clinton had breakfast with so and so...Romney waved at some people...and un ronpaulraised6milliondollars,but in other news..." When is enough, enough? The more he is resisted the stronger his message will get. Why? Everyone wants what the can't have.

Dr Paul's message is freedom. The powers to be do not understand that it is not the messenger, it is the message. Anyone could run on the platform of freedom. What makes this great, is the fact that when it is spread it is hard to stop.

[Warren Kruse]

That was a good story, Thanks. The additional links given was a nice touch! Remeber, all that money, all the new donors, and all those who have never voted before (please see link below for a great example of a first time voter-who is 70), they all add up to real supporters! Personally, I can taste a first place win by Paul. Won't that be the REAL shock and awe?

careful, it may make you cry....
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/18981

[Mike]

The corporate media chooses to use only polls that reflect the results they want. No one mentions the numerous straw polls or on-line polls that Ron Paul has won. A straw poll is the best true indicator of a candidates popularity, they cannot be compromised as easily. Ron Paul's official campaign website displays ALL straw poll results weather he has won them or not. The other candidates only mention the ones that they have won.

You keep mentioning that Ron Paul's age is 72 like this is a bad thing, it's not. He's healthier and bicycles regularly more than most 40 year olds I know. Why do you not mention John McCain being 71 constantly? You fail to mention that Ronald Reagan was 70 when he was elected and won again at 74. Are you suggesting we should age discriminate? How old is Hillary? How old is Thompson? Your Paul bashing is as boring today as it was yesterday.

(We do mention McCain's age and Obama's young age. You're just reading the Paul items. Maybe you should branch out a little and come back. Thanks for reading these anyway and taking the time to comment.)

[Mike]

I have voted republican all my life. Twice for Bush.
But enough is enough. No more "lesser of two evils" for me. I was not going to vote at all this election. Until Ron Paul came along. There are many others like me.

Why exclude Ron Paul? He is making history right and left and his platform truly stands out from all the others. Many of his supporters are first time voters or are not registered republicans so they do not get included in poll results. Thus his true polling numbers are perhaps a bit higher.

[Greg Sarnowski]

Ron Paul's exclusion from the forum has nothing to do with his poll numbers. He is polling twice as high as Thompson in New Hampshire, who did receive an invitation. Paul does not fit into the neoconservative mold so they are trying to shut him out, plain and simple.

[romes]

I think it is laughable that you post multiple references back to yourself as corroboration for your purported argument. The million dollar question is about the polling numbers. Current MSM polling only polls those with landline telephones and oftentimes Ron Paul is not even listed. Furthermore, only those people who voted in the last primaries when Bush ran unopposed are called. No, that doesn't seem biased and inaccurate.
Don't worry, you don't have to answer my point. You are not writing to me and I don't go to your site except to slap you down. Like everyone else though, I am making note of your advertisers so that apart from sending money to the cause I believe in, I'm going to withhold my patronage to your advertisers. You can continue writing for your shrinking ignorant base. We'll see how long that lasts. Maybe someday I'll see you with a sign on a street corner "will lie and distort for food".

(And maybe someday you'll learn how to read an article without overpowering bias. Oh, and by the way the LATimes/Bloomberg Poll does factor in cellphones in its random selecting. Thanks for reading and commenting.)

[Mike]

I have voted republican all my life. Twice for Bush.
But enough is enough. No more "lesser of two evils" for me. I was not going to vote at all this election. Until Ron Paul came along. There are many others like me.

Why exclude Ron Paul? He is making history right and left and his platform truly stands out from all the others. Many of his supporters are first time voters or are not registered republicans so they do not get included in poll results. Thus his true polling numbers are perhaps a bit higher.

[Greg Sarnowski]

Ron Paul's exclusion from the forum has nothing to do with his poll numbers. He is polling twice as high as Thompson in New Hampshire, who did receive an invitation. Paul does not fit into the neoconservative mold so they are trying to shut him out, plain and simple.

[mason]

The FCC and the loopholes Congress has given media companies are largely to blame for this Fox News debacle. The original intent of equal time rules was to specifically prohibit media companies from selecting which candidates should be able to access the airwaves. Unfortunately, so many exceptions to equal time rules were given - i.e. interviews and debates became "on the spot news", that media companies are now allowed to do precisely what Congress originally intended to prevent when they wrote the Communications Act that first gave the FCC its authority.

This farce of a forum takes things to a new level though. It is a manufactured event specifically intended to limit voters' awareness to only the corporate-backed shills who currently lay claim to Fox News' own appellation of front-runner status (never mind that some polls have Dr Paul running third in New Hampshire). There's certainly enough precedent to suggest that they can get away with trying to call this "on the spot news", but if one were to mention that the FCC takes abuse complaints from the public at fccinfo@fcc.gov, or that they accept official complaints by phone at 1-888-CALL-FCC, there's a good chance that Fox News would suddenly see a few thousand complaints added to their public file. And if that were to happen, it would certainly make the job of some freedom-loving independent attorney's lawsuit against them all the easier to win, should one rise to the occasion.

[JB]

No serious RP follower is saying that he gets no coverage in the Old Media. He does get some coverage, but then again, much of the coverage he does get is biased, its also true that he gets less coverage than other candidates, even if they are doing poorly in the Polls. Cases in point - Thompson still gets coverage, despite his plummet in the polls, Huckabee got millions in free press coverage because of the 400 or so value voters that selected him at their straw Poll (RP victories in straw polls of similar sizes were ignored) John McCain was essentially resurrected by the press, when he had no money to campaign (that's George Will talking, not me) . Finally, take the Tim Russert interviews. He was harsh to RP, taking comments out of context, interrupting answers, etc. Alternatively, he seemed to want to give McCain and Obama big wet sloppy kisses.

Now consider fox news, FCC regulated news tation, that trumps up some odd criteria to exclude Ron Paul . What is one to think other that in general the old media is biased against Ron Paul.

(You're entitled to think anything you want and I'm glad you thought of coming here to read and comment.)

[Bretwalda]

A fine article - and a good scoop. Although I have to say.....

...kidding. :)

This is news and I'm sure will be the basis for some tactical redirection as I've seen posts o'plenty in the meetup groups telling fellow Paulites to leave the NH Rep Party alone.

I had a hunch Fox and the NH RP were playing hot potato.

[charles ranalli]

dear Andrew Malcolm
thanks for publicizing the facts regarding fox news and Doctor Ron Paul.
thanks especially for rupert murdoch's email address.
God bless you
charles ranalli
albuquerque

[Michael OBrien]

I just "discovered" Ron Paul about 3 weeks ago when I saw a blimp overheard urging me to "google Ron Paul". I did google him and found out that one person came up with the idea to pay for this blimp out of his fervor for the candidates message. I read Paul's website and was impressed that the guy turned down the his own congressional pension. Now that was intriguing for a politician. I don't agree with all of his stances. But, he is an honest man, a well educated physician and seems to push the constitutional message above even himself. The rest of the field seem to be about their own ego.

[RPINDEED]

Let me also point out that Thompson is polling less than Paul is....yet he is being allowed to participate in the debate. So there goes the double digit excuse.

It is bluntly obvious to anyone that has the IQ of at least a fish that the "Fair and Balanced" network isn't being so fair and balanced due to their own personal agenda.

[Meg]

You forgot to mention that Fred Thompson is invited to the Fox News debate despite the fact that his poll numbers and fund raising are below Ron Paul's.

This kind of ommission of an important fact is why Ron Paul supporters have such a low opinion of the MSM.

The MSM isn't a target of Ron :Paul supporters, Ron Paul supporters are the target of the MSM. Our candidate has been called a kook, crazy, crackpot among other things by the MSM. As a supporter I've been labeled rabid, crazy, Paultard, Ronbot, a fan, Paulette, Paulite, internet geek, spammer.

We have to make numerous corrections to news articles, like the one I made above, in order for the truth about Ron Paul to get out to the people. The New York Times published an article that was so distorted and lacking in facts, it was a disgrace. If Ron Paul's supporters hadn't decended and refuted their unchecked assertions and complained; the NYT would never have apologized and printed the retraction.

To the MSM:
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.
Samuel Adams

Freedom is popular. Peace Liberty Prosperity! Ron Paul 2008!

(On the other hand, you could have no articles to complain about and no forum such as this to express yourself. But you do have the RP items here and the forum. And you're welcome to return any time. Thanks for reading.)

.

[Robert Moore]

Fox is a private business and they can invite whomever they want to their forum. We are consumers and can choose to watch Fox, another channel or simply get our news from the Internet. Fox News is sort of like indecency on the airwaves. I support their right to broadcast the neocon smut as long as I can change the channel. That's what I'll be doing if Fox excludes Ron Paul from their forum this Sunday and I hope their sponsors understand that neoconservatism is offensive, sleezy and offensive.

[Varrin Swearingen]

I won't complain about Paul's coverage here, and I did get a chuckle out of the 'jab back'. It is encouraging that Paul, of all the excluded candidates in the ABC and Fox venues, is getting the overwhelming majority of the coverage. Thank you for covering the injustice of Fox.

Whether or not Fox includes Dr. Paul in it's January 6th Forum, the people of New Hampshire have an opportunity to see him in person at the Free State Project's New Hampshire Liberty Forum that day. He's the closing speaker. Anyone in the area wanting to attend should check out the details at: http://freestateproject.org/libertyforum

Reporters are also invited to attend. Maybe other major media outlets can boost their market share by covering what Fox won't.

[Todd kingham]

Great article Andrew. I am an avid Ron Paul supporter and i know you haven't always been loved by "the revolution" but I found this article to be what news articles should be. Acurrate,fair, unbiased, and enjoyable to read. To quote Joe Friday, "Just the facts ma'am".

Some may jump on here and blast you for not being 100% pro-Paul, but whatever. This one was fair. Thanks again.

Go Ron Paul!!!!

[Tree]

They should exclude Ron Paul solely on the basis of his extreme racism, accepting money from Neo-Nazi groups, endorsement by the NAAWP, not to mention that he is a PHYSICAN? who does not believe in evolution. He's a nutjob all the way around. I'm sure no party wants to be associated with that, ton of ONLINE (only) nutjob followers or not.

[Swift for Paul]

Ron Paul has been the only candidate that has followers as fervent and loyal as any I have ever seen. I think his popularity is more then the media wants to admit and since he is for constitutionalist's ideologies and against government spending, there are alot of people out there that can associate with him. I will vote for Ron Paul and I will tell everyone I see that Ron Paul is the only one that should be our president.

[Brian, Magnolia, TX]

Mr. Malcolm,

Thanks for the note highlighting what seems to be Fox's attempt to limit the debate. If I am not mistaken, there have been several instances of single digit candidates (in terms of polling) that have done very well in the past, even winning primaries.

If this is true, then this data point alone, should end the discussion of whether or not Dr. Paul should participate. It appears clearly, as though Fox is trying to REPORT AND DECIDE for themselves.

This is sad.

As for myself and most in my family, most of the people that I work with, and many friends, we will be at the polls casting a vote for RON PAUL!

AMERICA FIRST!

Brian.

(FYI, a few weeks out of the 2004 Iowa caucus someone named John Kerry had 7%. He, of course, ended up winning there and the nomination.)

[Anthony Baldoni]

Yes, of course Ron Paul should be allowed in Sunday's debate on January 6th 2008 which will be televised on the Fox News Network.

Ron Paul represents the thoughts and beliefs of many thinking Americans that have been disinfranchised by the by the media, republicans, and democrats. He does not fit into one of two government-media controlled politcal buckets; both of which build ratings by participating in impotent confrontations about the same old tired social programswhich cause distractions. There is never a resolution to any of these topics because it gives a platform to the imposters to run on and build the size of government and continue to take more of the individual's money further causing the dependency on government to grow.

Ron Paul represents the individual and their own abilities to succeed in the greatest country the world has ever known.

[Luke]

"If word got out that Fox/News Corp. chairmen Rubert Murdoch's e-mail was rmordoch@newscorp.com, his mailbox would be full in a flash."

LOL

RP08!

[Clayr]

Well, this is almost true. One major fact has been left out in the article and that is that Ron Paul is in fourth place (8%) in Fox's own New Hampshire poll. This puts him ahead of two of the candidates who were invited for the debate (Huckabee 5% and Tompson 4%). Because of this, it is blatant censoring of the candidates.

There is no other way to describe it than to filter the contest to the way that Fox News wants it. It would be different had the obective be a national debate which it is not but a local debate. Even then Thompson is not even in double digits.

[Joe]

Paul supporters complain about the coverage because it's always so dismissive, and it's always Paul-specific. Paul is never included in broader discussions about the race and who will win.

(Well, not ALWAYS dismissive, witness this one. And this forum. Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a comment.)

[incognito911]

Yes, he needs to be included in the debate. Ron Paul leads Thompson.

[Campbell]

The media does suppress or trashe candidates it does not wish to support. John Edwards and Mitt Romney are now receiving the cold shoulder from liberal and special interest media groups. The more the media behaves in this fashion the more irritated and despondent the American voter becomes. The networks have lost the trust of mainstream America and have now relied on the antics of special interest to prop their ratings base. Principals, integrity and community values in a presidential candidate makes present day media moguls shudder.

[Bill Fangio]

Thank you, Andrew. A fair assessment. I am 73 years of age and have seen what has been done to our country by those in power. Especially from Wilson on. If more folks understood how we have violated our Constitution and made a mockery of our founding principles they would instantly recognize that Dr. Paul is exactly what this nation needs to restore our greatness.

[Campbell]

The media does suppress or trashe candidates it does not wish to support. John Edwards and Mitt Romney are now receiving the cold shoulder from liberal and special interest media groups. The more the media behaves in this fashion the more irritated and despondent the American voter becomes. The networks have lost the trust of mainstream America and have now relied on the antics of special interest to prop their ratings base. Principals, integrity and community values in a presidential candidate makes present day media moguls shudder.

[Bill Fangio]

Thank you, Andrew. A fair assessment. I am 73 years of age and have seen what has been done to our country by those in power. Especially from Wilson on. If more folks understood how we have violated our Constitution and made a mockery of our founding principles they would instantly recognize that Dr. Paul is exactly what this nation needs to restore our greatness.

[Brian P]

I can't believe I can actually say a major newspaper is giving Paul a fair coverage. Good for you and thank you. It sounds like there's a ton of support in the LA area for Dr.Paul, so it's good to know one media outlet actually cares about what their readers want. Not only is it what his supporters want, but it's true and (for the most part) unbiased.

[BrianMcAnoy]

The airwaves are part of the commons, so Paul and Hunter should be afforded access to that space if they have registered for the primaries. If they followed ABC's criteria that a candidate fulfill one of four benchmarks then exclusion would have not have been so arbitrary.

There is no conspiracy regarding the media and its treatment of Paul. Since major media outlets are by enlarge only a portion a corporation's portfolio no conspiracy is needed. If the CEO of the holding company perceives that a company within their control will negatively affect the overall bottom line their responsibility is first and foremost to the shareholder and overall profits. Given that traditional media derives most of its revenue from advertising and not subscriptions (an 80 - 20 ratio, though I stand to be corrected on a case by case basis) it stands to reason that advertisers will hold influence as well. Yes, there is a symbiotic relationship between subscriptions and advertising - a loss of subscribers means declining advertising revenue - but it would take an en masse revolt of subscribers to have the same influence as a significant advertiser.

Paul's rhetoric suggests that he is no friend of large corporations (he has compared corporatism to fascism), especially ones that benefit from govt subsidies like weapons manufacturing and agribusiness. My question is: is there any major media outlet that is not part of larger corporations and therefore independent of outside influence?

(Well, this one, the former publicly-owned Tribune Co., just went private and is owned largely by the employees. But to be honest, that doesn't have anything to do with what we write or don't write here. It's a free forum and we're glad you found it, read it and are participating.)

[Roger]

Dr. Ron Paul is the only one telling it like it is. for a very very long time 20 plus years ago.
Check this URL: http://forpresidentronpaul.blogspot.com/

This is my opinion as to why this is happening...

Young Americans from all parts of this beautiful country are awakening; he is the only one delivering the message that is reaching all three views, Republican, Democrats and Independents.
Do you know why? Well I do not claim to know all the variables that play into this but I bet the following has a big role and that is young Americans see what is going on with their grandparents, where Medicare is a mess, social security is gone or running out and medication is to the roof.

Then they see their parents struggling to pay the bills and getting by week by week.
Parents and grandparents sharing and commenting among themselves the good old days, talking about the days when this or that used to cost XYZ and when he or she used to work for this or that company and now all is gone.
Then this generation born from 1964 to late 1980 is starting to really feel the pinch.

Yes the pinch of what is to come, it has been building year after year, for decades our government has been making decisions and policies that at that time sounded good, or that it may fix this or that, decisions that had a good burst of economic growth but that in the long run will need to be revised.

It is here now, this generation sees, hears and is starting to feel bad economic policies made decades ago:
-1913 (16th Amendment to the constitution) then congress authorized the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank (Private institution) to control our money.
-1933 – Big year, full of bad policies among the more important are President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 6102. (Unlawful to own or hold gold) and a joint resolution to abrogated the gold clause on all existing government and private contracts was signed.
-1934 – “Gold Reserve Act” became law. This law took away title to all “Gold Certificates” and vested sole title to the U.S. Treasury.

In sum this and other measurements where executed by our government to end the “Fixed Dollar” and with it the “PAPER ERA BEGAN”.
It is 2007 and our government still feels the need to continue feeding this machine, so what does it do? It continues to issue certificates to be purchased by BIG private investors and countries. So with every approval of funding this huge government is making us “We the People” especially this and future generation debtors. Yes, Money out of thin air.

People do not get distracted by your everyday personal or trivial issues, this subject one of many does matter a LOT to you, your loved ones, and ALL of us. We need to be aware of who is going to start to put an end to this otherwise we will end up like many other great countries from the past (Example: Rome, England, Spain, Greece).
Back then they were called Empires and they ended up bankrupt due to bad policies and many, many of their people suffered.
Do not take my word for it… just as I did read the information available in books, archives etc.

who wants another texan in the most import