Four-Eight-Four [dot org]

I feel very confident at this point that the news, as originally reported, that Ron Paul has been excluded from the upcoming “roundtable forum” in New Hampshire on January 6 is correct.

The campaign has released a second, more detailed press release that indicates that this is their belief.

Furthermore, we have the following video captured from a FOX affiliate station. While it’s not “from the horses mouth” so to speak, it seems to lend a good bit of credibility to the charge.

The question remains … why is Ron Paul being excluded? If the argument is that he’s not polling as well as the others, the fact that Fred Thompson has been invited (and has confirmed his participation) derails this argument very quickly. As I mentioned in my initial post, in the last round of polling in New Hampshire, Ron Paul polled better than Thompson in every poll (sometimes leading by as much as 5 points), save one where he tied Thompson.

But … even the polling bit is disingenous, in my opinion. Why should the media not give equal time to all candidates in the race for a particular party? I know and understand that they are private corporations, and they can make their own choices, but I believe it is in the best interest of the public to be exposed to the views of all the candidates. So, with that in mind, I also ask … why are Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes also being excluded?

Note: Since I initially posted this, I’ve posted the following additional articles about the FOX News exclusion, as well as the ABC News/WMUR exclusions:

“Further Clarification on the Ron Paul/FOX Forum Mess“
“More Debate Exclusion in New Hampshire“
“New Hampshire Debate Exclusion Update & My Open Letter to WMUR and ABC News“
“Senator John Sununu (R-NH) Weighs in on FOX Forum/ABC Debate Exclusions“