Is Mark Everson being ignored unfairly?

[7,052,770]

Yes. how is he any less qualified to be a "serious candidate" than a doctor with no political experience, or a businesswoman whose sole political experience is that one time she was the sacrifical lamb in a safe senate seat because nobody else bothered to run?

Everson was Commissioner of the IRS. While not exactly a cabinet-level position, it is a still a high-end executive government job. He has a strong business resume just like Fiorina.

I hate to even go here, but the only reasonable explanation of why Fiorina and Carson are treated like "real" candidates and Everson isn't is race/gender.

[Vega]

He absolutely is; its a shame, too, because he's actually reasonable while also being conservative.

[dudeabides]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

[Famous Mortimer]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

She is known in the business community as a failure and in GOP politics as a failure. Why losing a race for one office entitles her to run for a higher office is beyond me.

[history nerd]

Yes. Everson has real political experience. IRS Commissioner isn't much but I would put it higher than other previous GOP candidates like Alan Keyes etc. He should at the very least be included in polls/invited to the kiddie table debate.

[Mister Mets]

Ben Carson polls reasonably well.

Fiorina is probably overhyped by the Republican establishment, but she is familiar with the media and has held some interesting positions (CEO of major company, Vice Chair of Republican Senate campaign committee.) It's incorrect to say she was a sacrificial lamb because no one else bothered to run, as the primary included a former Congressman and a member of the Republican leadership in the state assembly.

Everson was in charge of the IRS from 2003-2007. He briefly held another prominent post in 2007 as American Red Cross CEO but had to resign due to an affair with a married subordinate.

[Maxwell]

Because nobody cares about his hodge podge mess of bad ideas.

[Vega]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

She is known in the business community as a failure and in GOP politics as a failure. Why losing a race for one office entitles her to run for a higher office is beyond me.

Yeah, back in my day losing a Senate race by 10 points was ground for you not to run for higher office again (let alone the Presidency).

[Famous Mortimer]

Because nobody cares about his hodge podge mess of bad ideas.

What actually are his views?

[Maxwell]

Because nobody cares about his hodge podge mess of bad ideas.

What actually are his views?

One of them is re-instating the draft. Nuff said.

[Kingpoleon]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

She is known in the business community as a failure and in GOP politics as a failure. Why losing a race for one office entitles her to run for a higher office is beyond me.

Yeah, back in my day losing a Senate race by 10 points was ground for you not to run for higher office again (let alone the Presidency).

Everson should be taken as seriously as Ehrlich would have - that is, a man who lost by eight points and then fifteen points, doing worse in a Republican wave year.

[dudeabides]

Yes. Everson has real political experience. IRS Commissioner isn't much but I would put it higher than other previous GOP candidates like Alan Keyes etc. He should at the very least be included in polls/invited to the kiddie table debate.

Alan Keyes is crazy, no one denies that. But he was a diplomat in the Reagan administration.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

She is known in the business community as a failure and in GOP politics as a failure. Why losing a race for one office entitles her to run for a higher office is beyond me.

Failing upwards was perfected by George W. Bush. I mean, some drunk homeless guy would make a better President than half these candidates, but you go with those who know how to fail upwards.

[Indy Texas]

The arbitrary standards for things like who gets invited to debates and candidate forums are rooted in polling numbers, which are themselves a function of who the polling firms decide to include in the polls - another arbitrary decision.

It says something that if Mark Everson were, say, the spouse of an elected official, with the exact same resume he already has, he would have easily been included in polls and be given a much higher profile than he has now.

[Donerail]

Mark Everson seems to think the answer is yes - he's filing an FEC complaint seeking access to the first debate.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The arbitrary standards for things like who gets invited to debates and candidate forums are rooted in polling numbers, which are themselves a function of who the polling firms decide to include in the polls - another arbitrary decision.

It says something that if Mark Everson were, say, the spouse of an elected official, with the exact same resume he already has, he would have easily been included in polls and be given a much higher profile than he has now.

Yeah, he basically has Elizabeth Dole's resume from 2000.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Yes. how is he any less qualified to be a "serious candidate" than a doctor with no political experience, or a businesswoman whose sole political experience is that one time she was the sacrifical lamb in a safe senate seat because nobody else bothered to run?

Everson was Commissioner of the IRS. While not exactly a cabinet-level position, it is a still a high-end executive government job. He has a strong business resume just like Fiorina.

I hate to even go here, but the only reasonable explanation of why Fiorina and Carson are treated like "real" candidates and Everson isn't is race/gender.

how about the fact that he has never done anything to make it so that people have heard of him?  Has he ever run in a high profile Senate race?  Written anything that sells?

But yes, he should be allowed in the debate.

[Kingpoleon]

"I was the government's tax man! Vote for me, Republicans!"

[Famous Mortimer]

Yes. how is he any less qualified to be a "serious candidate" than a doctor with no political experience, or a businesswoman whose sole political experience is that one time she was the sacrifical lamb in a safe senate seat because nobody else bothered to run?

Everson was Commissioner of the IRS. While not exactly a cabinet-level position, it is a still a high-end executive government job. He has a strong business resume just like Fiorina.

I hate to even go here, but the only reasonable explanation of why Fiorina and Carson are treated like "real" candidates and Everson isn't is race/gender.

how about the fact that he has never done anything to make it so that people have heard of him?  Has he ever run in a high profile Senate race?  Written anything that sells?

But yes, he should be allowed in the debate.

If you want to argue inclusion based on name recognition, the debate will just be Trump and Bush.

[Republican Michigander]

Personally, I think too much is based on debates and what people say instead of what they do, but that's my view on things and is admittingly in the minority. I'd let him in the kiddie table debate at least, but there is no real "right" to a debate.

Anybody can be a candidate. That said, Everson isn't doing the things he has to do to be taken seriously. That's on him and his committee, nobody else.

I've met five of the candidates (Cruz, Paul, Santorum, Kasich, Jindal), and have seen three others speak (Trump, Perry, Bush).  I'll see an 9th this year (Walker), maybe a 10th (Fiorina).  I could have seen Trump if I wished to do so. I'm a county GOP Chair, but I'm not a big shot or a big donor. The point I make mentioning this is that it is the candidate's job to get his (or her) name out to the public. That takes money as well as ground game development.

Everson raised 300K and spent 283K this year. Most people haven't heard of him so he has extra work to do. Ben Carson on the other hand raised 10 Million (spent 5.8 Million). Carly Fiorina is a national name and raised 1.7 million in a two month period.

You can argue about their backgrounds and their qualifications (much like you could about Obama and Palin for that matter), but Carson and Fiorina are doing what they need to do to become serious candidates.

Is he being ignored unfairly? Maybe, but that's the candidate's responsibility, not everyone else's. I think Walker and Kasich are unfairly ignored, but it is what it is, and those two are doing something about it.

[Mister Mets]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

She is known in the business community as a failure and in GOP politics as a failure. Why losing a race for one office entitles her to run for a higher office is beyond me.

Yeah, back in my day losing a Senate race by 10 points was ground for you not to run for higher office again (let alone the Presidency).

Jerry Brown ran for President ten years after losing an open Senate race by seven points to a Republican mayor of San Diego.

[badgate]

Who? No.

[Vega]

With Ben Carson, I agree but no one has ever heard of Everson, including me. Fiorina is known in the business community and more recently, GOP politics.

She is known in the business community as a failure and in GOP politics as a failure. Why losing a race for one office entitles her to run for a higher office is beyond me.

Yeah, back in my day losing a Senate race by 10 points was ground for you not to run for higher office again (let alone the Presidency).

Jerry Brown ran for President ten years after losing an open Senate race by seven points to a Republican mayor of San Diego.

... but he was Governor for two terms.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

I accidentally voted that he's being treated fairly. I'm not sure what qualifications Everson doesn't have that others like Fiorina, Carson, and Trump have. Everson has at least held some form of public office.