Ron Paul Excluded by Fox

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul has surpassed the expectations of many. He has gone from a relatively unknown candidate to one who attracts hordes of enthusiastic supporters at every one of his speaking engagements. Paul apparently leads all Republican candidates in fundraising for the fourth quarter of 2007 and finished with 10% of the vote in the Iowa caucus. Paul finished ahead of Rudy Giuliani in Iowa and his performance is even more impressive when you consider his Libertarian views against the evangelical Christians who carried Mike Huckabee to victory in the state. Paul easily passes any test of a credible candidate for President, but Fox News has excluded him from their next presidential debate just prior to the New Hampshire primary.

Fred Thompson has been invited to the Fox News debate; Ron Paul leads Thompson in most New Hampshire polls. Although one must respect Fox News' rights as a private organization hosting a private debate, one can hardly consider the debates, or now Fox News' coverage of the presidential race, as credible. There really is no justification for not inviting Paul to the debate other than the top executives at Fox deciding they don't want him there. This is hardly "fair" or "balanced." The network is essentially signaling their viewers that Ron Paul should not be considered as a viable candidate for President.

Fox News is therefore influencing the presidential race. Their decision to exclude Paul shows no impartiality. In addition, it appears that ABC news has also chosen to limit the participants of its upcoming debate. These decisions by two major news agencies are dangerous because they set a precedent of the media selecting who is worthy of the public's attention. Had the media taken such actions earlier in the year, Mike Huckabee might not have been the winner in Iowa.

It is possible that in the future the list of candidates will be narrowed by opinions in the boardroom rather than naturally by candidates voluntarily dropping out of the race. The smart candidates will make an issue of this situation, or they may find themselves on the outside looking in. As for myself, I will no longer rely on Fox or ABC for any news on the election.