A Bird's Eye View
columnist: Raven West, J.D.

Topic: Ron Paul
Ron Paul, A True Cinderella Story

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Not being invited to the ball is more important than the ball itself.

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by Raven West, J.D.
(libertarian)
Sunday, January 6, 2008

The turning point in the story of Cinderella came about not because she was invited to the Prince’s ball, but because she wasn’t. As the story goes, an invitation was sent to "all the single young women in the kingdom", of which Cinderella was most qualified, but her step-mother and step-sisters did everything they could to prevent her from attending. The story was not about the people who DID attend the ball, it was about the one person who was excluded. Of course we all know what happened next; the fairy Godmother, the beautiful coach and gown and, of course, those infamous glass slippers and inevitable happy ending.

The story might have had quite a different result had Cinderella gone to the ball just like everyone else. She would have simply been another single young woman among the crowd and there would have been no story to tell and no happy ending. If this sounds familiar to Fox's vice president of news David Rhode’s decision not to include Ron Paul in their debate, it is no mere coincidence.

Fox News Channel scheduled another Republican Presidential Debate on January 6 in New Hampshire. Airing the day after ABC network’s highly imaginative and unique program, no one was really all that interested in yet one more showing of the "talking heads". We all knew the content of their debate would be the same. The candidates would voice the same rhetoric. Insults would fly and nothing new would be, well news, on Fox NEWS.

Then something strange happened. Ron Paul was not invited.

Almost overnight Fox News Channel BECAME the news, and Ron Paul was now the main headline, not because he was invited to the "ball", but because he wasn’t. The campaign had raised millions in contributions, but no amount of money could have bought the press coverage this purposeful omission created. So much so, that even the New Hampshire Republican Party, under Chairman Fergus Cullen, certainly not one of Ron Paul’s strongest supporters, dropped out as a partner of the Fox News Channel’s debate. Cullen said, "We believe all recognized major candidates should have an equal opportunity to participate in pre-primary debates and forums."

For the Republican Party Chairman to publicly state that Ron Paul was a "major candidate" when the party line so far had been just the opposite, was a greater news story than the debate itself. You simply cannot buy this type of media attention, and I’m certain the other candidates who will be on that stage wish they had NOT been invited either.

Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson have all furiously aligned themselves with the Republican Party. Yet when their own Chairman backs out of a debate, they simply go their own way. It seems to me, that if the leader of your party feels that strongly about an issue, you would also follow their lead. These candidates who wish to form a strong Republican following have a very unique opportunity to back up their words with actions.

Sadly, that is not the case. They are much more concerned with putting themselves in front of the camera than putting their characters on the line with their actions. While they are all scratching their heads to try and figure out why Ron Paul’s polling numbers are going up while theirs are either stagnant or going downward, why Ron Paul’s contributions smashed all records, why Ron Paul’s YouTube, Facebook and website is getting the most hits, or why people are coming out in record numbers to support him, maybe all they need to do is show some guts to at least try to combat these events. With the race as close as it is, media attention is the key. They might not support Ron Paul’s policies, they might not even like him, but at the very least he has integrity and never fails to show it. Can any one of the invitees say the same....with a straight face?

If there is even one empty chair at tonight’s debate, that absent candidate’s silent voice will send a much stronger message to the voters of New Hampshire and the country. Their message would be louder, clearer and more convincing than any statement they would have made during the debate. But alas, this is politics and not a fairy tale and in reality the words "integrity" and "commitment" mean very little when the cameras start to roll.

But the question remains: What if you threw a "Ball" and no one showed up?

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©2008 Raven West, J.D., all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Sunday, January 6, 2008
Last modified: Saturday, July 11, 2009

The views expressed in this article are those of Raven West, J.D. only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Raven West, J.D. is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.

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