Rand Paul Won’t Go To Undercard Debate: I’m Not A ‘Minor Campaign’

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks to reporters following a campaign stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Monday that he will follow through on his promise not to participate in Fox Business’ Thursday night undercard debate.

The Kentucky senator, along with Carly Fiorina, lost his slot on the main stage for the next Republican presidential debate due to his low polling numbers.

“I think they’ve made a mistake,” Paul told the Washington Post on Monday evening. “I’m not willing to accept a designation as a minor campaign. We’ve raised $25 million. We’ve gotten on the ballot on every state. It’s kind of ridiculous to arbitrarily rate the campaigns based on national polling.”

Paul was not convinced that participating in the second-tier debate would raise his profile, and said he would rather focus on campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“I’m just not willing to accept that,” he told the Post. “We’re getting bigger crowds. Just this week, in New Hampshire, we had bigger crowds at the Exeter Town Hall than Bill Clinton.”

“It won’t take much for our supporters to understand why we’re doing this,” he added. “You want war? We’ll give it to you.”

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Notable Replies

  1. What, you gonna hold your breath until you turn blue, Randy?

    Nothing sweeter than when the entitled rich kid finally has to learn the meaning of “No.” Let the humiliation begin!

  2. Avatar for nova nova says:

    It’s kind of ridiculous to arbitrarily rate the campaigns based on national polling.

    you go, rand. unskew this arbitrary polling shit. math and science ain’t nothin’ but arbitrary sorcery. and while you’re at it, make sure they let the Rent’s Too Damn High guy on stage, too.

  3. Rand is right, and it’s a slippery slope. If we arbitrarily rate the campaigns on “polling,” we’ll soon be electing candidates based on “voting.”

  4. This is what happens when self-delusion collides head on with reality.

    “You want war? We’ll give it to you.”

    Problem is, Randall, that all the other Republican candidates are offering bigger and better wars.

  5. “I’m not willing to accept a designation as a minor campaign. We’ve
    raised $25 million. We’ve gotten on the ballot on every state. It’s kind
    of ridiculous to arbitrarily rate the campaigns based on national
    polling.”

    In a party where $25 million is absolute chicken feed for candidates who sell themselves out to the Kochs, Adelsons, Singers, and countless other far-right billionaires, you’re going to have to accept the fact that, compared to all the other whores, you’re just not very good at it.

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