“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 created to embarrass our candidates”, the letter stated.
Advertisement
President Barack Obama took aim at the Republicans seeking to replace him on Monday, mocking the GOP candidates for their complaints about the moderators of the last debate. The Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and John Kasich campaigns have also said they won’t sign a final draft.
Cue a meeting of most of the campaigns’ representatives on Sunday.
The fact the Chinese are building man made islands in disputed waters and Russian generals are walking into our embassies telling our diplomatic personnel to get our aircraft out of the sky tells me the Chinese and Russians aren’t exactly anxious about Obama.
The Republican presidential field and the Republican National Committee fiercely criticized CNBC for how it conducted itself during Wednesday night’s primary debate.
Future Republican presidential debates will be no sweat for the candidates if GOP negotiators get their way – with new demands covering everything from the podiums to the thermostat.
His campaign reported raising $1.1 million in the 22 hours after the debate.
He suggested instead that conservative figures like Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh should be moderating instead.
“We’re being asked very rude questions, many of them directed at me”, Trump added.
To the editor: In the interest of fairness, should readers expect to read snide remarks about Democratic candidates (lord knows, there’s plenty of material), or is this just another example of media bias?
Christie also has ridden the issue to prominence in recent days.
Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski likened the new strategy to their conversations with networks before the third GOP debate in October, telling CBS News that “it’s no different than what we did with CNBC”.
Advertisement
Talking about GOP scepticism of climate change, Obama noted that a Republican member of Congress – Senator Jim Inhofe, who went unnamed – brought a snowball into the chamber to prove global warming was a fraud. He highlighted Carson’s leading role in the effort: “With all the people with all the years of government experience, it took the outsider to do it”. Republicans don’t want debates. Several more are on tap after that.
