Donald Trump wants to get paid for his appearances in future GOP debates.
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Carly Fiorina did not send anyone from her campaign to the meeting about debates.
The Arizona senator and former GOP presidential nominee mocked the current field for their public griping and threats about how future debates will be conducted after a badly run debate by CNBC raised candidates’ hackles.
Ted Cruz (R-Texas) got a roar of approval from the crowd when he turned the table and criticized the moderators.
To debate, or how not to debate – that is the question. This is not a cage match. I was under the impression that the objective of the primary debates was to assist the voters of each party to decide which candidate would best represent their own and their party’s values. “Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?”
“(Look at) the contrast with the Democratic debate, where every thought and question from the media was, which of you is more handsome and why?”
“Journalists who ask would-be leaders of the free world substantive, challenging questions on interest rates, social security, the debt limit, student loans and taxes to name a few, should be applauded”, Steel told CNNMoney.
On Wednesday, approximately five GOP presidential hopefuls were expected to sign a letter to the networks that they hope will place control of the primary debates back in the hands of their own campaigns. Anderson Cooper, CNN’s fair-haired boy, said John Harwood, Carl Quintanilla and Becky Quick did such a awful job they hurt the reputation of the entire media.
Still, the candidates won’t be seeking to banish the RNC from debate planning altogether.
“I was going to quote [rapper] Kanae [West] but this is a family audience”.
They included a requirement of a 30-second minimum for opening statements; a ban on “lightning rounds” that deny a candidate opportunity to expand an answer; candidate pre-approval of biographical data in screen graphics; and a pledge that debate hall temperatures be kept below 67 degrees (19 degrees Celsius).
As a result, the RNC announced Friday it had backed out of an upcoming debate scheduled for February 26.
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All of those strike us as sensible. “And the candidates want that to be with the RNC because we have the leverage to make that happen”. After all, without them, there could be no debates – networks would be expected to meet the Republicans’ demands, fearing that the candidates simply wouldn’t show up unless they were satisfied. The changes won’t neutralize the liberal bias that is inherent in much of the national media these days, and they won’t forestall tough questions, which they shouldn’t.
