On Saturday, July 25, Frank Fahrenkopf appeared on the Smerconish show on CNN. Fahrenkopf has been the most influential leader of the CPD since it was established in 1987. He said the Commission hasn’t decided yet whether to ease the 15% poll rule for entry into the general election presidential debates. He mentioned that the Annenberg Working Group on Presidential Campaign Debates had recently suggested that the first debate should have a 10% threshold. He said the Commission will decide by one year before the first debate. Because the first debate is usually in the first week of October of the election year, that means a decision by early October 2015. See this news story about some of the things Fahrenkopf said.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Just look at the 3 people that Fahrenkopf named in the article as “independents.” (1) Leon Panetta – a 15 year Democratic congressman from Calif., and appointee by Democratic party presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
(2) Mitch Daniels – a long-time staffer for Republican US Senator Richard Lugar and himself Republican Party Governor of Indiana for 8 years. (3) Mitch Daniels – a lengthy career with ABC News which has never been noted for other than major party (principally Democratic) leanings. If it is “independents” such as these whom we must depend to “buck” Fahrenkopf and open up the debates, we should just accept the fact that the Democans and Republicrats will keep the debates solely for themselves!
I smell serious BS coming out of the direction of Fahrenkopf.