GOP Candidates Frightened Away From Scary Debates They Can’t Control

[eridani]

http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=30015

Now the GOP contenders are planning to huddle together to come up with a new debate format that better suits their needs. They intend to address how they might take more control over the process, diminish the role of the Republican National Committee, and decide how the debates are conducted, including the selection of moderators. It’s an unprecedented initiative to transform what is supposed to be an open dialog that provides voters with an informative look at the candidates, into a PR vehicle that functions more like propaganda.

The RNC, which is taking some heat from the candidates, had already barred MSNBC from hosting any debates when they originally published their schedule back in January. That admission of fear has now escalated as the RNC chairman, Reince Priebus, advised NBC today that the one debate they had scheduled (Fox News has four), in partnership with Telemundo, has been “suspended,” whatever that means. So the RNC intends to punish NBC for the perceived wrongs committed by a separate unit of the Comcast/NBC family, And in the process they are also risking their only access to a minority audience, via Telemundo, that the GOP desperately needs to make inroads with. Will Republicans make demands as to who will moderate or what can be asked in order to lift the suspension? Well, Priebus is now saying that “Every debate on the calendar is going to be reevaluated, reset — look at the format, the moderators, everything,”

What really makes this whole phony controversy ridiculous is that it doesn’t benefit any political party to impose such strict demands. First of all, if they get their wish and appear before “friendly” moderators like Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Rush Limbaugh (as Ted Cruz actually suggested last night on Hannity’s show), they might find the questioning even more damaging. The rightist Taliban, as represented by Limbaugh et al, will be more likely to force candidates to stake out extreme positions which they will be unable to “Etch-a-Sketch” away after the primaries. The wingnut media are notoriously committed to the sort of ideological purity that voters find repugnant. What’s more, even if they got the sympathetic treatment they desire, it would only result in the candidates being woefully unprepared for the full-contact combat they will eventually encounter in the general election.

[oberliner]

1. If they had a debate with Hannity, Levin, and Rush as moderators it would be the end of Republicans

At least as a national party.

People would see how insane they really are.

[safeinOhio]

2. Give them more rope

And when they hit rock bottom, just toss em a pick and shovel.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. We should encourage this, then. n/t

[Shrike47]

6. It will be a two hour ad for each Republican. Pointless to any but the faithful.

[salin]

11. Leaving a large trail of video evidence of mass insanity

I can't believe their advisers are so far in the bubble that they don't realize how dangerous this would be for their candidates and party.

[patricia92243]

3. Actually, they will be able to shine. All the question will be about or lead to how evil the other

side is. They EXCELL at this, and their base will consider they have been given "red meat." The candidate ignorance will never be uncovered, and the bases ignorance will be satisfied.

[Shrike47]

7. Either that or broad platitudes anybody would agree with. "I'll make America great!"

They will do away with taxes but nobody who matters will suffer, and America will have a military so enormous and powerful that all foreign countries will do whatever we tell them to do.

Said by 10 candidates one after another.

And nobody asks how or for any specifics.

[randome]

5. Bunch of whiny, little loser-bunnies.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[B Calm]

8. If they are afraid of conservative CNBC, what would they do in a national crisis? Thus

proof none of them are fit to be president.

[C_U_L8R]

9. These things aren't debates

and its deceptive to describe them as such.
They're nothing more than beauty pageants
(with really heinous mean-spirited contestants).
None of these conservative clowns could stand
the heat of a real debate. I dare them to try.

[Volaris]

10. No worries, one of them will get their shot eventually.

We're keeping the white house, there's almost no doubt .
If we're smart about how we go about it, we can get the Senate back, too.

[Vinca]

12. If they're afraid of NBC, how are they going to handle Putin?