Posted on 10/30/2015 11:17:19 AM PDT by demkicker
The Republican National Committee has pulled out of a planned Feb. 26 debate with NBC News after widespread criticism of this week's CNBC debate from both the party and campaigns.
"We are suspending the partnership with NBC News for the Republican primary debate at the University of Houston on February 26, 2016," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus wrote in a letter to NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack.
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"CNBC network is one of your media properties, and its handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith," Priebus wrote. "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."
He went on to pan CNBC for "inaccurate or downright offensive" questions, specifically singling out a question to Donald Trump, who was asked whether he was running a "comic book" version of a presidential campaign.
"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," he said.
"What took place Wednesday night was not an attempt to give the American people a greater understanding of our candidates’ policies and ideas.
He added that the network didn't deliver on the promise to focus the debate on important issues and to allow the candidates to make opening statements. The debate instead began with a question about the candidates' weaknesses.
Trump and Ben Carson had threatened to pull out of the debate if they could not make opening statements, which the candidate can use to express their messages even if they don't spend as much time speaking during the event.
The RNC still plans to hold a debate on that date that includes National Review, a conservative publication that partnered with NBC for the upcoming debate.
In an email statement Friday afternoon, NBC responded to the RNC's action saying, “This is a disappointing development. However, along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party.â€
Candidates criticized the debate along similar lines during the contest itself, with Ted Cruz bashing the moderators for political bias and unfair questions. And Priebus issued a rare press release immediately after the debate expressing the party's unhappiness with CNBC.
That frustration spilled over in the debate's aftermath and a handful of campaigns are set to air grievances in a private meeting this weekend. The candidates said they were going to exclude the RNC from the meeting.
Former RNC communications director Trevor Francis praised the party's decision.
"The RNC demonstrated once again that there is no greater advocate for the candidates running for president than the RNC itself."
“This is a good signal, I’m sure that this is not going to address everything but it is not intended to address everything. They are going to keep an open mind and an open dialogue with each of the campaigns.â€
They should have debates at conservative colleges and let them run it.
pull out of all of them unless they have conservatives moderating. This doesn’t go far enough.
ALREADY POSTED (TWICE)
Terrible headline.
It should be “RNC pulls out of NBC debate”.
Methinks that Carson and Trump made the first demand...on Rinse. lol
Surprising. But the RNC knew the candidates wouldn’t show up.
I wish FreeRepublic could team up with other Conservative concerns and sponsor a debate moderated By Rush, Hannity, and Levin.
the reason they keep going with msnbc etc is because they mistakenly think they will pick up liberals who regularly watch such crap stations- they will NOT pick them up Ever- and the liberals who watch crap stations are so ignorant that they will NEVER see the truth no matter how many times a republican explains it to them- so the excuse that the GOP keeps going to liberal stations to ‘get the truth out there to those who don’t know it’ is bogus and hopelessly naive-
The GOP ALWAYS end up hurting themselves more by going o nsuch crap stations-
Not nearly enough!
The fact that this idiotic "head" of the RNC is playing the same games they've played now for decades and unfortunately with social media, we've called them on it - only after their (the RNC's) buddies in the MSM complained!!!!!
Just shows as both Rush and Levin have complained they care more about what their cocktail and golfing partners think than those they claim to represent!
Well, they no longer represent ME and I'm a delegate (or proposed to be, if I still care enough to be one!)
They did NOT pull out—they “suspended” the debate. This is a delaying action only. The GOPe still wants Jeb and they still want to blow up Trump.
...even more plausible since the RNC canceled their NBC debate.
Why not have the Drudge Report sponsor a live STREAMING Debate with real Conservative Moderators:
Rush Limbaugh
Mark Levin
Allen West
Phyllis Shlafly
Just a quick comment...I am a Trump guy 1st and Cruz guy 2nd....Cruz knocked those effing moderators out of the park last night.....Go Cuz or Trump!!!!!!!
priebus trying to take some of the heat off (for allowing the last debate int he first place.
They're threatening to scream "Wacism!!!" This is what global governance looks like folks. They'll foment anarchy if they can't get the power to game the system for their sponsors.
Priebus is trying to salvage his job since he’s been exposed. And Trump is implementing his ‘art of the deal’ to shake the establishment up even more.
Betcha Trump will make sure that he and fellow conservative candidates have final approval of the next moderators.
It is ironic that NBC had Trump on 186 episodes of the Apprentice, but now that he is the one trying to convince people to hire him it won’t be on NBC.
I agree, but I’m a Cruz fan 1st, Trump fan 2nd. I’ll be happy with either.
Remember 4 later reference - Republican National Committee Chairman @Reince Prebius and @SpeakerRyan (Paul Ryan) are friends since childhood— TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) October 30, 2015
I won’t be happy with a trump as I still don’t fully trust him- or even mostly trust him- but I’d certainly settle for him over ANY democrat any day- so he’ll have my vote IF he becomes the nominee- However, I’d much prefer Cruz- but I don’t think Cruz can win because the msm has so many people in the middle convinced he is the devil- hell, even many republican think that- The Hatred the msm and some rinos have for Ted is so fierce for some reason that they don’t even try to be polite to him- they have a seething vile hatred for him that just is impossible for them to hide-
I guess truth and courage are quite loathsome to rinos and the left
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