Why Is Alan Keyes On My Television!

Posted: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:03 PM by Chuck Todd

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Seriously, how can the Des Moines Register come up with criteria that keeps Kucinich and Gravel out of the Dem debates and somehow keeps Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes in. Ridiculous.

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Comments

Alan Keyes is being allowed to participate, but Dennis Kucinich isn't? How exactly is that justified? I know Kucinich doesn't have a strong presence in Iowa, and is at or near the bottom of the polls...but I didn't even know Keyes was running - and I've followed the campaign pretty closely. Something is seriously not right.

Philip Arkham, St. Louis, Mo. (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:08 PM)

They discovered Keyes as the anti-Obama. Keyes is Obama's kryptonite.

LOL

Yiannis, Baltimore (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:10 PM)

I thought Alan Keyes had been B listed?

huh? (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:11 PM)

Philip:

A requirement to participate is having an office in state. Kucinich does not have an Iowa office, therefore he was excluded from this debate.

Carrie, Eastern Iowa (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:18 PM)

I didn't realize he was even running and I too have been paying close attention. I think it is pure BS.

Ron NPR FL (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:21 PM)

more like D listed

Levi, Hutchinson, KS (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:22 PM)

I agree. At this point it's a mystery.

Richard, Washington State (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:41 PM)

We need to raise the standards on who can particpate in debates because the real candidates need to be heard so people cast knowledgable votes

john ferrantino, rocky hill, ct (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:59 PM)

And who is to determine who the "real" candidates are?

Mike G., Arlington, VA (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 4:01 PM)

If we are going to have any kind of serious set of debates, then all of the dabates should have the same rules or a series of sliding rules to weed out the less likely compeditors. I think all of the debates before the first caucuses and primaries should have all of those that have filed papers with the FEC. After the first caucus and primary (Iowa and New Hampshire), I believe it should weed out those that have: dropped out, who have less than 3% in that state's polls where the debate is being held or something similar. That would include a lot more candidates. I would love to see that there are 15 candidates all getting their faces out there for a short bit. You never know that one of the unknowns might go farther than we might expect.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Thursday, December 13, 2007 9:22 AM)

keyes is the BIG TENT example, Dennis does not meet the criteria to become a symbol, he is too ordinary now if we can prove he has ADD then we got a defining candidate, the mental health voters need some one.

John Alexander,Edinboro,PA (Sent Thursday, December 13, 2007 11:09 AM)

I have called the Des Moines Register and asked for the address of Alan Keys office and contact number, they said they would get back to me with that information. I'm still waiting.

If voting oculd change things - they'd make it illegal.

MDB (Sent Monday, December 17, 2007 12:32 PM)

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