Posted on 03/18/2013 11:18:22 AM PDT by Hojczyk
When conservatives complain about the harm that the endless debate schedule had on the 2012 Republican primary candidates, the conversation often turns to the hosts and the moderators.
Why are Republican candidates letting someone like ABC’s George Stephanopoulos — a former aide to Democrat Bill Clinton — ask them “gotcha questions” during a GOP primary?
Why are GOP presidential hopefuls agreeing to meet for a debate hosted by an outlet like MSNBC, a cable network that has increasingly grown hostile to Republicans as it self-identifies as a liberal news network?
As the Republican Party released a 100-page report on Monday about what the party can do better to win elections, committee members are recommending that the Republican National Committee step in to regulate these televised showdowns come 2016.
And RNC chairman Reince Priebus told The Daily Caller that the party does not only want to reduce the number of debates. The RNC, he said, also wants to explore the possibility of choosing who actually asks the questions during the debates.
“I think the party should have more control over who moderates, and we should have more control over the partners,” Priebus told TheDC. “And if we can come up with a mechanism to take more control over the debate processes, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
There is no need for Republicans to debate each other, it merely provides fodder for the media with which to bash all Republicans.
A candidate should win on their own merits, without having to tear other Republicans down to do it.
It's NOT just Stephanopoulos - the other moderators get their questions from dem operatives. Nice long lists of questions they can 'choose' from... questions written by people who hate us.
It's about time the GOP work up to the fact that dems play us for fools.
It will be difficult for the GOP to find ‘fair and balanced’ moderators—but they should hold out for that or refuse to continue the debates.
If they set the rules for moderators/networks far in advance, it won’t matter if the liberals in the media wail and rant about the end of the debates.
Who needs them? Romney won and still lost the election.
Follow the money.
And the GOP only now realizes this???????
The GOP should tell the Dems that they want Wayne Lapierre, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to moderate the 2016 debates. It wold be about as fair at the 3 moderators in 2012
I know what a ‘journalist’ is and what a political operative is... and George is a dem operative - - pretending to be a journalist. The folks at ABC know that too - and still hired him.
I don't believe ABC would make the same 'mistake' trying to foist off a conservative operative as a 'journalist'...
If YOU think otherwise have you ever wondered why George doesn't ‘do’ a nice investigative special on democrat ‘war rooms’ and how dems send out fake letters to newspapers? Pretending to be everyday citizens? George knows the inside stuff - and rather than shining a light on the crap - he ‘covers’ for one side. That's NOT journalism. I suspect you know that...
Just now figuring this out?
Or how about we put them 1-on-1 cage-match interview with Ann Coulter ?
Limbaugh or Levin, I can understand. But Hannity??? Coulter???
Hannity would have his 3x5 index cards typed up by Karl Rove. And Coulter's a political prostitute. No thanks to either of those two.
As a condition of hosting a debate, the sponsoring group should be allowed to choose the moderator. Sports teams do this with broadcasters as part of their contract.
If a broadcast entity refuses to agree for any reason, the party then has the ability to explain to one and all exactly why no debate is being held on that particular network.
The fact of the matter is that the second-biggest sport for the networks, right after bashing conservatives, is bashing each other. Let CBS crow to the world about NBC’s bias. If it helps them in the ratings, they’ll stab their fellow leftists in the back in a New York minute.
Simply stage their own debates..if the Democrat candidate doesn’t show up then debate an empty chair.
The Rats will just avoid those debates. Recall Obama’s refusal to attend a Newscorp Fox News moderated debate (Newscorp execs endorsed Kerry in 2004).
One would think the RNC would be more interested in leveling the playing field for the general-election debates, but... oh, what the hell... it’s the GOP.
If they would reorganize the debate and primary schedules then they may could set up some type of regional or sectional debates that could be down minus the national media outlets.
I was just telling you that it is a waste of time to complain when you aren’t going to get anyone better. Until conservative purchase a MAJOR network, it will continue to operate the same way.
LLS
That’s why I say scrap the debates, altogether.
The repubic elite want to win elections (or lose when they want to)... ALL to ensure their own wealth and power. They laugh at us and the country.
LLS
Can’t help but agree. Why any GOP’er would go on any of those networks is beyond me. Just like Boner saying he trust’s the Zero.
It isn’t just the tone of the questions that are in question. It is the framing of the debate altogether.
The perspective coming in is often left of center.
And why were Republicans asked questions about evolution and faith? Why was the question never put point blank to Obama at a debate “you claim to be a Christian, do you honestly believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and has been seen by people?”
Two can play at this game.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.