Democrats and Republicans have found an issue they agree on this Primary season.
No one seems to like the idea that TV networks are leaving low-polling candiates out of the debates taking place in New Hampshire this weekend.
The networks say they want more time to discuss the issues with viable contenders.
Critics say the move runs against the nature of the First in the Nation Primary.
New Hampshire Public Radio's David Darman has more.
It is not often that New Hampshire’s Republican and Democratic chairmen agree on an issue.
But when it comes to who should be included in Saturday’s back to back GOP and Democratic debates, they say practically the same thing.
Here’s Raymond Buckley, the state’s Democratic Chairman.
We’re looking at polls that show that 60 percent of voters who say they’re going to participate in the democratic primary have not made a final decision. We don’t know what’s going to happen in iowa. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the days leading up to the new Hampshire primary…I would think that we should extend the welcome mat to all these gentlemen.
Fergus Cullen, the state’s GOP chairman, says it’s too early in the nominating process to be winnowing out any candidates.
New Hampshire has always had the tradition that all candidates get equal opportunity and that is what it should be all the way through the primary. The media is trying to hurry this process along prematurely and it’s not theirs to choose. It’s the voters to choose whose a real candidate and who’s not.
As things stand now, rules adopted by ABC and WMUR would exclude three Democrats; Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
Only Congressman Duncan Hunter would be left out on the Republican side.
ABC news political director David Chalian says the rules include any candidate who makes a strong showing in Iowa, or who has more than a shred of support in state or national polls.
Chalian says those rules made sense after more than a year of campaigning and a string of several other debates.
And the whole point was we weren’t trying to create a criteria to draw people out. We were trying to include people with a real shot to be the nominee or be the next president so that we can dedicate more time to these really huge issues. I mean the economy and the way it is right now and health care and the war. I mean these are huge issues that the next president is going to face and this is how we think we can get the best debate and conversation for the viewers going.
Leading Democrats Barak Obama and Hilary Clinton have issued statements saying they support opening the debate to Dodd, Biden and Kucinich.
But the Dodd and Biden campaigns have said they don’t think they’ll need exceptions to the rules to be included in Saturday’s debate.
Joe Biden’s campaign predicts the Delaware senator will make a strong showing in Iowa.
Chris Dodd’s spokesman Brian DeAngelis says he sees a similar fate shaping up for his man.
People are starting to take a second look in places like iowa…and we think they’re going to turn to a candidate that has his type of experience and has his ability to produce results so we’re pretty confident that he will meet the criteria that ABC and WMUR has laid out.
For the Republican forum being held on Sunday, excluded candidates have no criteria to meet to score an invitation.
Those who got an invite from Fox News and New Hampshire’s Republican Party have a chance to participate at the Fox mobile studio at St Anselm College.
Those not invited, Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter, seemingly have no way to get inside.
Ron Paul spokesman Kate Rick says the lack of access has been frustrating for the campaign.
We’re certainly a little bit perplexed about what the criteria could be for Fox news. We’ve had other candidates who have polled lower than we have, who’ve raised less money than we have. I’m not really sure what they’re going off of. We’d love to be included in any forum, obviously. So I think we’re still hoping to hear back from FOX . we have about six or seven phone calls into them to see what’s going on and they haven’t gotten back to us.
Paul’s campaign says New Hampshire’s Republican Party supports the Texas Congressman’s inclusion.
But that support hasn’t yet been enough to get Paul inside Sunday’s forum.
