Gary Johnson Excluded from CNN Debate
June 6th, 2011
Call it picking favorites, or marginalizing the non-mainstream politicians, but either way, CNN’s exclusion of former New Mexico Governor and liberty-minded candidate Gary Johnson from its June 13th debate in New Hampshire represents a media outlet’s attempt at protecting the popular candidates and not giving the other guys a chance. According to CNN, Mr. Johnson was not invited to participate in the debate because he didnt meet the “objective criteria” that CNN and local co-sponsors WMUR and the New Hampshire Union Leader set for the debate.
According to the Union Leader, the main criteria point was that the candidate had to be polling at or above 2% in any national poll after April. However, the polls taken in April didn’t even have Mr. Johnson on the list of options, despite being one of the first ones to declare his candidacy for President. It seems hypocritical because Michelle Bachmann is participating, yet she hasn’t formally declared yet, and Rick Santorum is as well, even though he and Mr. Johnson are even in most polls that feature the two of them.
Even though it might not be explicit, Gary Johnson’s exclusion could have something to do with his candidacy style. He doesn’t have the flare of other candidates, but he has his principles. He lets his record do the talking, a record of small government and low taxes that resulted in New Mexico having a balanced budget, prosperous businesses, and more individual freedom for its inhabitants. Other candidates are loud and make headlines for one-liner arguments, and great political theater, even if their actual proposals have no substance.
By excluding a candidate with more executive credentials than most of the field, CNN robs voters of a chance to see what small-government principles really are, and why they really work.
