He isn't completely new to politics.
Karger is no political naif. He spent nearly 30 years as a campaign advisor to several of California's top Republicans and served as an election strategist for corporate clients, including cigarette maker Philip Morris. His trophies — a home a block from the ocean in Laguna Beach, a second one above Laurel Canyon and a silver Mercedes to ride between the two — speak to his success.
He even speaks to their supposed demographics.
Prosperous enough to have retired at 53, Karger can travel the world and, for two years, he did: Australia, Europe, South America. But these days, Karger spends most of his time in Iowa and New Hampshire, burning through roughly $25,000 a month in personal savings in an improbable quest for the White House and, maybe, a bit of respect.
Except for one small thing.
Karger is gay, a fact he kept hidden for most of his 61 years and his entire professional life, and if it sounds like some kind of joke (a gay Jewish Republican walks into a precinct…) or strains credulity (a gay Jewish Republican president?), Karger laughs right along. But he's not kidding.
Now Fox has their standards for who can participate in their debates.
Karger says he meets the criteria Fox News set to participate in the debate this week and that he’ll continue to fight to be included in upcoming debates. But the Iowa Republican Party did invite Karger to participate in this Saturday’s straw poll ballot in Iowa, and Karger declined.
But there is something else the Republican Party wants from him.
Why?
Money.
To participate in the August 13 straw poll, Karger said, his campaign would have to contribute $15,000 to the party, pay for parking spaces, put up an air-conditioned tent, and buy a slew of $30 tickets to give to supporters willing to attend the straw poll event and vote for him. With the student bodies at local colleges still away for the summer, said Karger, the crowd in Ames this weekend will be especially tilted away from the party’s more moderate candidates.
He has the poll numbers but apparently not the right polls.
But those sponsors –Fox News, the Iowa Republican Party, and the Washington Examiner news organization—said last Friday that Karger failed to qualify.
The criteria, spelled out by Fox News, amounted to three things:
that the candidate be registered with the Federal Elections Commission as a presidential candidate; Karger is.
that the candidate meet all requirements for presidential qualification as spelled out by the U.S. Constitution. Karger does. And,
that the candidate has earned an average of at least one percent in five national polls of “most recent polling.” This is where the dispute lies.
Karger points to these five national polls, all independent polls conducted this year involving Republicans or Republican-leaning Independents:
a Harris Interactive poll, completed August 4, in which he garnered support from two percent of 1,168 people surveyed online;
a Zogby poll, completed July 25, in which he garnered support from one percent of 1,103 people surveyed online;
a McClatchy-Marist poll, completed June 23, in which he garnered support from less than one percent of 308 people surveyed by telephone. Karger was identified to them as “Political Activist Fred Karger” and, odd as it may sound, he earned a full one percent from Republicans identified as “Tea Party supporters.”
a Zogby poll, completed May 23, in which he garnered support from one percent of 1,169 people surveyed online; and
a Fox News poll, completed April 27, in which Karger garnered support from one percent of 911 people surveyed by telephone who identified themselves as registered voters.
Karger says the average of these five surveys gives him a clear one-point average.
Fox doesn’t dispute Karger’s math. It disputes which polls he uses to achieve it.
Well they make up facts all the time so making the rules go their way is not unexpected.