Apparently, Fox News decided that he was not eligible to participate in a Republican presidential debate last week. Their excuse was that the proof he showed that he had at least 1% support was not sufficient because it was too old or the methodology of the poll was not sufficient.
But, this is the second time that Karger has had to file a complaint; the first time was against a group called Iowa Christian Alliance when he was excluded from a candidate's forum based on the fact that ICA didn't feel he was a legitimate candidate.
Considering the anti-gay bias that goes on with Fox News and organizations like Iowa Christian Alliance, it's understandable that Mr. Karger feels that he is getting treated like a second-class citizen, not worthy of recognition -- especially in a political forum as a Republican -- because he is gay and his platform includes pro-equality.
Both Fox News and Iowa Christian Alliance, it should be noted, seem to claim reasons other than his homosexuality and pro-equality platform as reasons for excluding him, but it seems to be nonsense to me. I wouldn't hold my breath that what they're saying is true. I guess we'll find out when Karger files the complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Personally, I hope that the FEC socks it to Fox News and ICA, telling them they aren't allowed to discriminate against people just because they don't think they fit the bill for what these groups and corporations have in mind for the GOP and what they think real Republicans stand for.
To me, that's what this is really about. Fox News and the ICA don't think that a gay man who runs with a pro-equality platform, or just a pro-equality inclusive platform, is a real Republican and therefore are attempting to keep him out of the public eye and keep his message from being heard.
His real stated goal is to at least be able to be heard, to counter the anti-gay bias that permeates the rest of the Republican candidates and the GOP as a whole. And he's being blocked from doing that. That's wrong. He is a legitimate candidate so long as he is serious about running and he seems to be serious about running. But, even he knows that a Republican who runs on a pro-equality inclusive platform is unlikely to be getting the majority vote. Still, why should that deter him and why should that automatically make him an illigitimate candidate? It doesn't and it shouldn't.
Fox News and organizations like the Iowa Christian Alliance do not get to decide that candidates are illigitimate or should not be heard just because they don't like what they have to say.
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