Should Carly Be on the Main Stage?

 

Carly Fiorina The next GOP primary debate is scheduled for Saturday and every major candidate is invited to participate. Well, everyone except Carly Fiorina. She wrote an open letter to the Republican National Committee to request that they discard the rules as created by ABC News:

Our debate process is broken. Networks are making up these debate rules as they go along — not to be able to fit candidates on the stage — but arbitrarily to decide which candidates make for the best TV in their opinion. Now it is time for the RNC to act in the best interest of the Party that it represents.

In 2012, the debate stage featured 8 candidates until the Iowa Caucus and then all declared candidates still in the race were invited from that point forward, including the ABC New Hampshire debate. As of today, I will be the only candidate kept off the debate stage. To review, we beat Governors Christie and Kasich in Iowa this week when voters actually had their say. This campaign has the same number of delegates as Governors Bush and Kasich while Governor Christie has zero. We’re ahead of Dr. Carson in New Hampshire polling. We are 6th in hard dollars raised and have twice the cash on hand as either Governors Christie or Kasich. We are already on the ballot in 32 states, and there is a ground game with paid staff in 12 states. Yet, all of these candidates will be invited to the ABC debate. I will not.

There are only 8 candidates left. It’s time for the RNC to demand that media executives step aside and let voters hear from all of us.

Technically, there are nine candidates left, but seeing that James Gilmore only received 12 votes in Iowa, you can hardly consider him a major player. So what do you think, Ricochetti — should ABC let Carly in?

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  1. J. D. Fitzpatrick Member
    J. D. Fitzpatrick
    @JDFitzpatrick

    Pencilvania:Put Carly on stage. If there’s not enough room let Bush and Kasich share a podium.

    Gives “I paid for this microphone!” a whole new meaning.

    Presumably replied to with “Give it to me or the ghost of my father will mess with your mail.”

    • #31
  2. JustmeinAZ Member
    JustmeinAZ
    @JustmeinAZ

    Of course.

    • #32
  3. rico Inactive
    rico
    @rico

    It was a rhetorical question, right Jon?

    • #33
  4. Maureen Rice Inactive
    Maureen Rice
    @MaureenRice

    Forget identity politics: she is a formidable speaker, has humor, seems comfortable with herself. I also love that she majored in Medieval Studies. She has a vitality & poise that HRC cannot match. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

    • #34
  5. harrisventures Inactive
    harrisventures
    @harrisventures

    What difference, at this point, does it make?

    Yes, she should be on the stage…

    • #35
  6. rico Inactive
    rico
    @rico

    She argues her case well in the letter. Any reasonable person can see that the rules should be adjusted.

    I think ABC and the RNC will have no choice but to be reasonable.

    • #36
  7. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Might as well.

    • #37
  8. Valiuth Member
    Valiuth
    @Valiuth

    HeartofAmerica:

    Valiuth:You know what they say? The fewer the better.

    Sorry, if we let a woman in to a debate, what next? Give them the right to vote?

    Honestly though, Carly is done. Will she add anything? If she wants to go to the debate let her get her numbers up.

    Having received better numbers in Iowa than Christie and Kasich should count for something. If she’s off the stage, they should be as well.

    I’m fine with that.

    • #38
  9. KiminWI Member
    KiminWI
    @KiminWI

    Carly Fiorina dignifies the entire field. That’s why she needs to be there and it’s why ABC wouldn’t want her there.

    • #39
  10. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Why would anybody let an organization silly enough to call George Stephanopoulos a journalist have any say in who gets to be on the stage?

    • #40
  11. Beatrice Campbell Member
    Beatrice Campbell
    @

    Yes.

    She understands high finance and foreign policy, she is an outstanding debater, and I truly believe she’s the only Republican unafraid of taking on HRC Mano a Mano.

    I would pay good money to watch that debate.

    • #41
  12. Charlotte Member
    Charlotte
    @Charlotte

    I will not rest until Jim Gilmore is President of the United States of America.

    • #42
  13. Umbra Fractus Inactive
    Umbra Fractus
    @UmbraFractus

    The only justification for excluding her is declaring that only Trump, Cruz, and Rubio will be on the main stage. They’re obviously not going to do that, so yes. Enough people have dropped out that there’s no justification for the kiddie table.

    • #43
  14. Acook Coolidge
    Acook
    @Acook

    Yes, absolutely.

    • #44
  15. Dustoff Inactive
    Dustoff
    @Dustoff

    Heck yes!

    • #45
  16. Ned Walton Inactive
    Ned Walton
    @NedWalton

    YES!!!

    • #46
  17. Ned Walton Inactive
    Ned Walton
    @NedWalton

    Charlotte:I will not rest until Jim Gilmore is President of the United States of America.

    Can I get you a cup of coffee? ;-)

    • #47
  18. Jules PA Inactive
    Jules PA
    @JulesPA

    Well if Ricochetti ruled the world…or at least the debate, I think we may have found consensus on something!

    • #48
  19. Concretevol Thatcher
    Concretevol
    @Concretevol

    Give her Jeb!’s spot

    • #49
  20. Quinn the Eskimo Member
    Quinn the Eskimo
    @

    Charlotte:I will not rest until Jim Gilmore is President of the United States of America.

    You have a late night ahead of you.

    The fact that she has received more votes in an actual event than some of the people on stage should weigh heavily in the decision to let her participate.  I’m not sure what interest is served to the voters by not letting her participate. And that’s the real objective here, to do serve the voters.  The debate is for them.  It’s not for the network’s benefit.

    • #50
  21. rico Inactive
    rico
    @rico

    ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL:

    Fiorina at the kiddie table

    in a one-on-one debate

    with Trump

    • #51
  22. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    If she’s the only one then it’s probably not worth arguing over.  Might as well include her.

    • #52
  23. Ryan M Inactive
    Ryan M
    @RyanM

    There’s another debate?  I think this is way too many.

    And no, I think Fiorina should drop out already and throw her support behind someone who might actually win.  Same goes for Jeb and Kasich and Christie and everyone else who doesn’t have a shot.  This constant debating is annoying and stupid.  Sorry Carli, I don’t care what you have to say in the debates.  Put out a press release and back one of the candidates.  It’s a 3-man race at this point, and one of those options would spell utter disaster.

    • #53
  24. Beatrice Campbell Member
    Beatrice Campbell
    @

    I’m thoroughly enjoying the GOP debates because I find most of the candidates either interesting or accomplished and in most cases both!

    I will admit to missing The Donald in the last round; it was similar to a Frazier-Ali fight without the poetry of “Float like a butterfly; sting like a bee.”

    • #54
  25. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    I’m not going to watch this “debate” any more than I did the others, but Carly belongs, for all the reasons given.

    • #55
  26. Mike LaRoche Inactive
    Mike LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    I’d like to see Cruz versus Trump, one on one.

    • #56
  27. Postmodern Hoplite Coolidge
    Postmodern Hoplite
    @PostmodernHoplite

    I’ve been a Fiorina support from the beginning, and she remains my #1 choice. So of course I agree she ought to be on the debate stage. If the RNC doesn’t insist to it, they are patently stupid.

    • #57
  28. Del Mar Dave Member
    Del Mar Dave
    @DelMarDave

    Definitely!

    • #58
  29. David Sussman Member
    David Sussman
    @DaveSussman

    Tin foil hat on: Someone at ABC hasn’t been appreciating what Carly has been saying about Hillary. At the last debate Carly skewered her not just on corruption, but her marriage.

    Not sure who it would be, but if I had to guess it may be Clintons old friend whose name sounds like George HR Puffnstuff.

    • #59
  30. Brian McMenomy Inactive
    Brian McMenomy
    @BrianMcMenomy

    It’s baffling why she wouldn’t be on the main stage.  I understand your reasoning, Ryan, & if her results don’t improve, yes she should get behind someone else (read: Rubio).  But she’s got every right to continue, and she finished ahead of Kasich & Christie in Iowa.  She’s polling ahead of Carson in NH.  All those guys will be on the stage. Reince Priebus should tell ABC that unless they want to run “The Bachelor” reruns and miss out on the ratings bonanza that is the Republican debate process, get everybody up there.

    Accuse them of being sexist misogynists if you have to.  If greed doesn’t work, try shame.

    • #60
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