It’s time for a GOP talk radio debate. Specifically on February 26th of next year. Why February 26th? Because of this news…welcome news…from Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus. The RNC has now pulled the GOP from the February 26th GOP debate that was to be hosted by NBC.
In the wake of the disaster that was the CNBC debate - which was an open attack on the candidates - Priebus has released this letter, which is worth re-printing here in full:
Dear Mr. Lack,
I write to inform you that pending further discussion between the Republican National Committee (RNC) and our presidential campaigns, we are suspending the partnership with NBC News for the Republican primary debate at the University of Houston on February 26, 2016. The RNC’s sole role in the primary debate process is to ensure that our candidates are given a full and fair opportunity to lay out their vision for America’s future. We simply cannot continue with NBC without full consultation with our campaigns.
The CNBC network is one of your media properties, and its handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith. We understand that NBC does not exercise full editorial control over CNBC’s journalistic approach.
However, the network is an arm of your organization, and we need to ensure there is not a repeat performance.
CNBC billed the debate as one that would focus on “the key issues that matter to all voters—job growth, taxes, technology, retirement and the health of our national economy.” That was not the case. Before the debate, the candidates were promised an opening question on economic or financial matters. That was not the case. Candidates were promised that speaking time would be carefully monitored to ensure fairness. That was not the case. Questions were inaccurate or downright offensive.The first question directed to one of our candidates asked if he was running a comic book version of a presidential campaign, hardly in the spirit of how the debate was billed.
While debates are meant to include tough questions and contrast candidates’ visions and policies for the future of America, CNBC’s moderators engaged in a series of “gotcha” questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates. What took place Wednesday night was not an attempt to give the American people a greater understanding of our candidates’ policies and ideas.
I have tremendous respect for the First Amendment and freedom of the press. However, I also expect the media to host a substantive debate on consequential issues important to Americans. CNBC did not.
While we are suspending our partnership with NBC News and its properties, we still fully intend to have a debate on that day, and will ensure that National Review remains part of it.
I will be working with our candidates to discuss how to move forward and will be in touch.
Bravo. So….now is exactly the time to follow up with the first GOP talk radio debate.
In the wake of the disaster that was the CNBC debate Sean Hannity has renewed the call for a talk radio debate, supporting a suggestion from Senator Ted Cruz. Over here at his web site Hannity headlined the Cruz suggestion this way:
What Does The GOP Chairman Think About A Sean Hannity,
Rush Limbaugh, And Mark Levin Moderated Debate?
Says Sean (who includes a clip of his Fox interview with Chairman Priebus):
“Ted Cruz had an interesting suggestion earlier this week for just who should be moderating the next GOP debate. "How about a debate moderated by Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Rush Limbaugh?" Cruz asked on Wednesday's post-debate analysis on Fox.
"I'm in," Sean responded.
In the end, though, it's the Republican National Committee that has the final say in who hosts the GOP debates.
On Thursday's Hannity, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus responded to Cruz's proposed Hannity-Levin-Limbaugh moderating team.
"I think [Cruz] is right," Priebus said. "You strive to get to a place where the people doing the moderating are going to put on a fair show. That didn't happen [at the CNBC debate]."
Priebus went on to take responsibility for the poor debate moderation. "We co-sponsored these debates," Priebus said. "I do blame CNBC but I also take responsibility for the fact that now we've got to do everything in our human power to make sure that never happens again.”
Rush Limbaugh noted the other day that the whole point of the CNBC debate was to “take out” the GOP candidates. Said Rush of the CNBC display? It was “the epitome of arrogance combined with condescension.” Rush was right. But forget CNBC. Lesson learned -- and while this should have been obvious before going into the debate it is time -- while there is still time -- to bring in Sean, Mark and Rush to the rescue.
No one who is a serious conservative thinks a Limbaugh/Levin/Hannity debate would be a walk in a park for GOP candidates. Contrary to the liberal caricature of conservative talk radio, these are deeply serious people, well read in conservative thought and more than qualified to question candidates on issues from a conservative point of view.
In fact, Mark Levin has another suggestion altogether. Take out the moderator role and model the debate on the famous 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debate, where the GOP’s first and founding president ran against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas for Douglas’s seat representing Illinois for the US Senate. The debate was in fact a series of seven debates held in various locations around Illinois and there was no moderator at all. The two candidates, with rules agreed upon ahead of time, simply sat on a platform together, made their opening statements and then were off and running in a one-on-one debate on the subjects of the day. The debate format ran like this: each candidate got a 60 minute opening statement, then the last one to make the opening statement yielded for 90 minutes to the other, with a 30 minute close provided for each to end the debate.
Obviously that is way too long for a modern debate in the television era (or maybe not?). But the central point here is that moderators were absent. It was just Lincoln and Douglas.
With the large number of candidates in the GOP race that style of a debate would be difficult if not impossible. But by the 26th, the Iowa caucuses, and primaries in New Hampshire and South Carolina plus the Nevada caucuses will be over. Surely the large cast currently on the debate stage will be gone.
A talk radio debate is not impossible, particularly with Hannity already signing up.
What conservative would not love to hear Mark Levin grill these candidates on the Constitution or an Article Five convention? To hear Rush pin down a Kasich or Christie on how they have used conservative principles -- or not -- to govern Ohio and New Jersey? To have Sean go back and forth with Rand Paul or Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz about the Boehner budget deal and just why it is that the base of the GOP feels betrayed by their leadership?
The details could be worked out. But the concept should be agreed to quickly.
It’s time. More than past time to have Republican candidates on stage not with a bunch of CNBC-style liberals determined to paint them in the worst possible life. It’s more than past time to have potential Republican candidates answer questions from some of the most notable conservative stars in the conservative universe.
Ted Cruz has it right. Sean Hannity has it right. It’s time to get these candidates on stage with Rush and Sean and Mark and have a genuinely serious, substantive debate between conservatives The calendar now has an opening, thanks to the mess that was made by CNBC. Chairman Priebus has taken the first step by canceling NBC. Now it’s time for step two.
Here’s hoping Mr. Priebus moves quickly and decisively to start a needed reform of the GOP debate system.
