September 22, 2011. Orlando. For all those fans of liberty, freedom and America’s electoral process, they may want to tune into Fox News tonight and check out the next GOP Presidential debate. Broadcast live from Orlando, Florida, the top 9 Republican candidates for President will be on stage. That’s one more than the 8 that have previously been invited to the other GOP debates, including the last Fox News debate. That’s because the American people have spoken loud and clear, demanding an end to a rigged and dishonest debate system.
With metaphorical chants from a united electorate of, “Let him speak”, former New Mexico Governor and current Republican Presidential candidate Gary Johnson will finally be allowed to take his rightful spot on stage. More importantly, the libertarian Johnson will be allowed to take his message directly to the American people on national TV.
Until now, most of the Party-sponsored debates have used unfair, if not rigged, criteria for inclusion. Sponsors such as the Florida Republican Party, CNN and others have insisted that each candidate poll a certain percentage in at least five recent polls to be included. The problem arises when the sponsors hand-pick five specific polls that happened to exclude candidates like Johnson and don’t even offer him as a choice. The former NM Governor has consistently polled higher than other candidates like Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, both of whom continue to be invited to every event. Read the Whiteout Press article, ‘CNN Changing Election Outcome’ for more information on how Gary Johnson has been unfairly left out and how he fought to change that.
Johnson didn’t fight alone. Independent news outlets like Whiteout Press, as well as this Examiner.com column, have been outspoken in their defense of a fair electoral process. Fox News it seems, has become the first national media outlet to reverse its policy and invite previously blacked-out candidates like Johnson.
With Johnson participating in Florida’s GOP debate tonight, watch for fireworks between the GOP’s two wings. Until now, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) has been the lone defender of liberty and the US Constitution, facing off against 7 fellow Republican candidates who support a global, corporate agenda. With Paul and Johnson both in the mix, watch for the grassroots, middle class, fair trade arguments of the libertarian faction of the GOP to surface with a vengeance.
Sponsored by Google, the Florida Republican Party and Fox News, the Florida GOP debate will be held in Orlando and broadcast nationally by Fox News beginning at 9:00pm Eastern time.
The decision to ignore the dishonest debate criteria in lieu of the fair criteria by Fox News has caused a major public rift between the Republican Party and their most supportive television network. The Florida GOP has already announced their disagreement with the Fox News decision and continue to defend their practice of using polls that didn’t include Gary Johnson. Fox News on the other hand, accepted all the nationally recognized polls just as their criteria states. In those polls where Johnson’s name has been included, he’s finished well ahead of some of his always-included opponents.
Responding to the welcome news that Johnson would be invited to participate in tonight's debate, Senior Johnson campaign strategist Ron Nielson told Examiner:
“This is a huge victory for liberty over the establishment. Governor Johnson will share the stage with eight other candidates and you can bet that he will bring ideas and approaches to the challenges we face that would otherwise not be heard - A balanced budget in 2013, an end to unnecessary foreign wars, and a gubernatorial track record that truly sets Gary Johnson apart.”
Unfortunately for the Johnson 2012 campaign, the candidate’s participation in the nationally televised debate is a minor victory. Showing just what kind of wall Gary Johnson is up against within his own party, the Republican Party of FL has already announced they still are not going to include Gary Johnson’s name as an option in their upcoming straw poll.
Explaining to Politico, Florida GOP spokesman Brian Hughes explained:
“The Republican Party of Florida was using a version of the criteria to determine placement on our straw poll ballot. For logistical reasons, we had a different deadline. Based on using the criteria with a different deadline cut-off, Gary Johnson does not qualify for placement on the actual ballot that will be distributed Saturday.”
For more information on GOP Presidential candidate Gary Johnson, tune into tonight’s debate or visit his campaign website at GaryJohnson2012.com.
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