Poor thangs are having a hissy fit.
The Iowa Republican Party put out an advisory Tuesday setting standards for participation in a Dec. 4 debate it is sponsoring with Fox News. The phone has been ringing off the hook ever since.
That's because the sponsors said participants need to average 5% support among Republicans in recent national or Iowa polls -- and so far, Texas Rep. Ron Paul is one of the candidates not making the cut.
News of the party's decision and how to protest it was spread quickly over the Internet by supporters of the anti-war, anti-tax, anti-abortion libertarian. "We are getting bombarded" with calls and e-mails from Paul's supporters, said GOP spokeswoman Mary Tiffany. She said there were 25 voice mails from angry Paul supporters before the start of business Thursday.
"I'm all about the First Amendment, but at the same time, how is this productive?" she asked. "They need to start calling voters and start door-knocking instead of calling the Republican Party of Iowa."
Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and California Rep. Duncan Hunter also fall below the 5% threshold at this point. Tiffany said Thursday there had been a few e-mails from Hunter fans and no word from anyone about Tancredo. No campaigns have objected so far, including Paul's, she said.
In Pollster.com's latest averaging of national poll results of Republicans, Paul's support comes in at 2.7%. The website calculates Paul's support among Republicans in Iowa, based on polls there, to be 3.8%.
I have said it before and I will say it again...money means nothing without physical voting support and Ron Paul doesn't and never will have that support.
The kooks can piss and moan all they want, they can stomp their feet and cry like babies but the numbers are consistent on all polls done.
According to RCP averages of all the latest polls by different polling organizations he is down to 3.5% from his 3.6% last week.
As Snooper says: Spin THAT Paulites.
[Update] This is subject to change for all three candidates if they get to the 5% mark by debate day.
[Update #2] Iowa Polls:
Republican Polls
American Research Group
10/28/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 3.6% [?]
Mitt Romney 27%
Mike Huckabee 19%
Rudy Giuliani 16%
John McCain 14%
Fred Thompson 8%
Tom Tancredo 2%
Ron Paul 1%
Unsure 13%
University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll
10/21/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 5.6% [?]
Mitt Romney 36%
Rudy Giuliani 13%
Mike Huckabee 13%
Fred Thompson 11%
John McCain 6%
Tom Tancredo 2%
Unsure 15%
Other 4%
Strategic Vision (R)
10/13/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 3.6% [?]
Mitt Romney 27%
Rudy Giuliani 13%
Mike Huckabee 12%
Fred Thompson 10%
John McCain 5%
Ron Paul 4%
Sam Brownback 4%
Tom Tancredo 2%
Duncan Hunter 1%
Unsure 22%
Des Moines Register Iowa Poll conducted by Selzer & Company
10/2/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 4.4% [?]
Mitt Romney 29%
Fred Thompson 18%
Mike Huckabee 12%
Rudy Giuliani 11%
John McCain 7%
Tom Tancredo 5%
Ron Paul 4%
Sam Brownback 2%
Alan Keyes 2%
Duncan Hunter 1%
Unsure 9%
Real Clear Politics (Religious)
10/2/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 3.7% [?]
Mike Huckabee 22%
Mitt Romney 20%
Fred Thompson 13%
Sam Brownback 11%
John McCain 10%
Rudy Giuliani 7%
Ron Paul 3%
Duncan Hunter 2%
Unsure 13%
Real Clear Politics
10/2/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 2.3% [?]
Mitt Romney 24%
Rudy Giuliani 16%
Fred Thompson 13%
Mike Huckabee 13%
John McCain 10%
Sam Brownback 5%
Ron Paul 4%
Duncan Hunter 2%
Unsure 13%
American Research Group
9/28/2007
Iowa
Margin of Error = 3.3% [?]
Mitt Romney 22%
Rudy Giuliani 21%
Fred Thompson 16%
John McCain 11%
Newt Gingrich 5%
Mike Huckabee 4%
Ron Paul 2%
Duncan Hunter 2%
Sam Brownback 2%
Tom Tancredo 1%
Alan Keyes 1%
Unsure 13%
.