Bradley in DC
Member
- Joined
- May 18, 2007
- Messages
- 12,279
Let's prove him wrong!
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTAzNDYxYWMwYmU4ZWY4ODVmZGJiNTQ1ZDFiNmU2Mzk=
The Last Debate Invitation for Ron Paul?
Thursday night’s debate will be Hillary vs. Obama, one-on-one, mano-a-womano. (Yes, I know mano-a-mano actually means “hand to hand” in Spanish. Couldn't resist the pun.)
Tonight, on CNN, the stage for the GOP will be a little more crowded. It will be McCain, Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul.
Now, I was among those saying 'hey, let’s keep Ron Paul around' in the last debate. And it would be wrong for CNN to rescind an offered invitation. But the next debate after Super Tuesday really ought to be at least a three man stage, if not a two-man one.
For Huckabee, his case for a lectern on that stage starting to look iffy; his path to the nomination looks all but impossible. Since Iowa he’s finished last (Wyoming) third (New Hampshire), third (Michigan), tied for fourth (Nevada), second (South Carolina), and fourth (Florida). He’s got a third of the delegates that McCain has, and about half as many votes. And the guy who finished ahead of him in Florida dropped out.
If he does particularly well on Super Tuesday – collecting most of say, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, his home state of Arkansas (a gimme), maybe Colorado, maybe Missouri, maybe West Virginia, then he’ll have earned a right to stick around.
But if, as many speculate, he wants to run for vice president, he can do it elsewhere besides the debates.
I can imagine the tide of angry e-mails from Ron Paul folks as I write this, but if he hasn’t broken out in the first 20 debates (I’m not exaggerating, tonight is the twentieth Republican debate) then I don’t think it’s going to happen for him in the 21st. Depending on whether you prefer CNN or RCP’s count, Paul has either six or four delegates. To his credit, he finished second in Nevada. But he’s gotten ten percent in Iowa, eight percent in New Hampshire, six percent in Michigan, four percent in South Carolina, and three percent in Florida.
Everybody else who’s been finishing with those kind of numbers has departed the race, and several candidates who have done better – Thompson with his pair of second-place finishes, Edwards with his frequent finishes in the mid-teens – have left the trail. Some Ron Paul supporter will tout his impressive fundraising numbers, but after seven states (not counting Louisiana, as they still have a primary to complete the process started by their caucus) it appears clear that the grassroots enthusiasm and funds have not turned into votes.
Of course, there's another question inherent in this... do we really need a 21st debate? I suppose if the race really has come down to McCain vs. Romney, we ought to see them go nose-to-nose. But we're reaching the point where everything that these guys need to say has been said. Let's vote and get this over with.
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTAzNDYxYWMwYmU4ZWY4ODVmZGJiNTQ1ZDFiNmU2Mzk=
The Last Debate Invitation for Ron Paul?
Thursday night’s debate will be Hillary vs. Obama, one-on-one, mano-a-womano. (Yes, I know mano-a-mano actually means “hand to hand” in Spanish. Couldn't resist the pun.)
Tonight, on CNN, the stage for the GOP will be a little more crowded. It will be McCain, Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul.
Now, I was among those saying 'hey, let’s keep Ron Paul around' in the last debate. And it would be wrong for CNN to rescind an offered invitation. But the next debate after Super Tuesday really ought to be at least a three man stage, if not a two-man one.
For Huckabee, his case for a lectern on that stage starting to look iffy; his path to the nomination looks all but impossible. Since Iowa he’s finished last (Wyoming) third (New Hampshire), third (Michigan), tied for fourth (Nevada), second (South Carolina), and fourth (Florida). He’s got a third of the delegates that McCain has, and about half as many votes. And the guy who finished ahead of him in Florida dropped out.
If he does particularly well on Super Tuesday – collecting most of say, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, his home state of Arkansas (a gimme), maybe Colorado, maybe Missouri, maybe West Virginia, then he’ll have earned a right to stick around.
But if, as many speculate, he wants to run for vice president, he can do it elsewhere besides the debates.
I can imagine the tide of angry e-mails from Ron Paul folks as I write this, but if he hasn’t broken out in the first 20 debates (I’m not exaggerating, tonight is the twentieth Republican debate) then I don’t think it’s going to happen for him in the 21st. Depending on whether you prefer CNN or RCP’s count, Paul has either six or four delegates. To his credit, he finished second in Nevada. But he’s gotten ten percent in Iowa, eight percent in New Hampshire, six percent in Michigan, four percent in South Carolina, and three percent in Florida.
Everybody else who’s been finishing with those kind of numbers has departed the race, and several candidates who have done better – Thompson with his pair of second-place finishes, Edwards with his frequent finishes in the mid-teens – have left the trail. Some Ron Paul supporter will tout his impressive fundraising numbers, but after seven states (not counting Louisiana, as they still have a primary to complete the process started by their caucus) it appears clear that the grassroots enthusiasm and funds have not turned into votes.
Of course, there's another question inherent in this... do we really need a 21st debate? I suppose if the race really has come down to McCain vs. Romney, we ought to see them go nose-to-nose. But we're reaching the point where everything that these guys need to say has been said. Let's vote and get this over with.
