Fox News decided last week to expand its upcoming Republican presidential candidate debates to include all the announced GOP candidates who fail to qualify for the Aug. 6 prime-time event. That’s good news for the politically attentive public, who want to see and hear what all candidates have to offer. 
However,  it could be bad news for low-polling candidates like Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New York Gov. George Pataki and Rick Santorum. Unless they reach the top 10 by the Fox News deadline, they will be relegated to a 5 p.m. undercard debate. It will last an hour and be moderated by Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum.
According to Fox News executive Michael Clemente, expanding the GOP debates was “due to the overwhelming interest in the FOX News Facebook Debate Event Night on Aug. 6 and in a concerted effort to include and accommodate the now 16 Republican candidate field -- the largest in modern political history.”
“Although we are relaxing one component of our entry criteria -- the requirement candidates must score 1 percent or higher in an average of five most recent national polls -- all other components of the criteria remain in effect for the 5 p.m./ET debate.”
“As for the 9 p.m./ET debate, all components of the original criteria remain unchanged -- including the requirement that participants must place in the top 10 of an average of the five most recent national polls, as recognized by FOX News, leading up to Aug. 4 at 5 p.m./ET. Such polling must be conducted by major, nationally recognized organizations that use standard methodological techniques.”
  “Everyone included in these debates has a chance to be President of the United States and we look forward to showcasing all of the candidates in the first primary event of the 2016 election season,” added Clemente.
  The 9 p.m. prime-time debate event will last about two hours, including commercials and introductions. It will moderated by Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace. My analysis of the latest national polling data available as I write suggests the “top 10” participants will be Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Washington Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. I say “suggests” because that lineup could change in a twinkling.
As pundits past and present have said, “Predictions are difficult -- especially those about the future.” That’s certainly true with predictions based on analyses, including my own, of volatile political polls. We’ll have to wait for Fox News to pick the real “top 10” and “bottom six or seven” for the Aug. 6 debates in Cleveland, Ohio.
On a personal note, I applaud Fox News for expanding the debates. Let all be heard to thin the herd.
Retired Army Col Thomas B. Vaughn can be reached at tbvbwmi@blomand.net.