September 12, 2011
Gary Johnson is the anti-establishment Republican Presidential candidate. He is committed to cutting spending, balancing the budget, rooting out special interests, and protecting Liberty for all Americans.
A CNN poll two weeks ago
showed him tied with Herman Cain and ahead of Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman.
It's disappointing, then, that Governor Johnson's established credibility as a presidential candidate has not earned him the opportunity to present his message in the nationally televised debates.
Our campaign has been respectful when questioning the media's decisions to exclude Governor Johnson, but credible observers have speculated that there may in fact be a 'Gary Johnson Rule' to ensure that he doesn't appear on stage. (See
here and
here.)
While the national media may have devised polling "criteria" to determine who is invited and who is not, those criteria become a lot less objective if the polls they're based on don't include all the candidates.
How can you qualify for the debates when you're not included in the polls?
The irony, of course, is that many of the same media outlets who decide the debate participants are also the same people who devise the national polls. While they may say that their debates are open to anyone, their carefully restricted polls effectively play the role of gatekeeper.
When Governor Johnson was included by CNN in
their last nationwide survey, he placed ahead of Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum, and tied with Herman Cain -- all three of whom have been invited to every debate, including tonight's.
But this morning, despite his previous inclusion -- and despite polling ahead or even with three other candidates -- CNN released their latest poll without Governor Johnson as an option.
We find this truly baffling, and have been left scratching our heads. And so we ask, 'why?'
What is it that CNN is afraid of? Is a candidate with fresh ideas - and a
track record as a successful two-term governor - too much for the establishment to deal with?
Or is it that CNN can't understand how Gary Johnson can poll competitively with other candidates who've spent millions -- possibly 10 or 20 times the amount Governor Johnson has spent?
Why does it seem so infeasible that an
authentic message from a
former Governor with a true
record of
fiscal conservatism would resonate with real voters?
We don't know what's going on, but something is.
If you are as bewildered and concerned as we are, ask CNN what the deal is. Here are their email addresses and phone numbers:
CNN:
(404) 827-1500 or
(202) 898-7900 Text: CNN (space) and your news tip to 772937 (don't forget the space after CNN).
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html Twitter: @CNN or @teamCNN
It's time for the establishment media to admit that Gary Johnson speaks for a lot of Republicans and Independents whose views are simply not being heard on their invitation-only stages.
Thank you for your current and ongoing support:
https://donate.GaryJohnson2012.com.
Live Free,
Ron Nielson
Senior Campaign Advisor
Gary Johnson 2012
