If you want change to the debates, you have to do like Trump and put your foot down and not attend.
Posted on 11/01/2023 5:55:57 PM PDT by conservative98
After a second debate widely panned as “disappointing” by conservative viewers and pundits, strategists are questioning whether the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) third presidential primary debate hosted by NBC serves much of a purpose at all.
The RNC gave its first two debates to Fox News and Fox Business, the second of which was heavily criticized for not focusing on the issues Republican primary voters care about. Despite that criticism, the RNC gave its third debate on Nov. 8 to NBC, failing to meet earlier promises to prioritize up-and-coming conservative, independent media for coverage.
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The RNC’s current chairman of its Temporary Committee on Presidential Debates, David Bossie, promised in 2022 that under his leadership, the debates wouldn’t be hosted by the “same old” outlets and that they would instead be used to raise up conservative media. Bossie imagined during the interview the debates being hosted by conservative firebrands such as Mark Levin and Dan Bongino.
Instead, NBC’s Lester Holt and Kristen Welker will moderate debate number three alongside Salem Radio Network’s Hugh Hewitt, a longtime fixture of conservative talk radio.
“These two people [Holt and Welker] are not Republican voters. They’re not undecided voters. They’re not moderate voters. They’re not people who occasionally vote for Republicans. These are hardcore Democrat voters. They’ve been their whole life,” Mike McKenna, GOP consultant and MWR Strategies president, told the Daily Caller. “So yeah, they’re gonna look at drilling Republicans. It’s silly, it’s ridiculous. And you know what? The guy who made it silly and ridiculous, Ronna McDaniel and Dave Bossie. They’re the architects of this. You want to blame somebody? Blame those two chuckleheads.”
McKenna added that he would be “shocked” if Holt and Welker didn’t ask about “defending democracy and abortion,” noting that the topics have become main pillars of the Democratic party agenda.
Holt has moderated a presidential debate in the past two elections, though his 2016 performance came under fire. Throughout the debate, Holt tried to fact-check former President Donald Trump. Trump pushed back on Holt’s line of questioning during the debate, criticizing the NBC host for not asking a single question about Hillary Clinton’s missing emails or her role in the Benghazi Embassy attack.
Prior to Welker hosting her first presidential debate in 2020, it was reported by the New York Post that her family previously donated nearly $20,000 to former President Barack Obama and $3,300 to then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign. The Welker family, though not the moderator herself, reportedly made contributions and supported both Clinton and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
As of Oct. 28, four Republican presidential candidates had qualified for the third debate and will face questions from Holt, Welker and Hewitt: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has qualified as well for the third debate, his campaign team told the Hill.
DeSantis, Haley, Christie and Scott have all appeared on Welker’s show in recent months.
“There’s no way that these NBC anchors can be fair, they simply don’t understand what most Americans much less most Republican voters care about. It’s a foreign concept to them,” Mark R. Weaver, a GOP consultant, told the Daily Caller. “It would be like most of us in America trying to follow a debate in Kazakhstan. We just couldn’t, even if it were translated into our language, we wouldn’t understand the content.”
Hewitt has pushed back against criticism of the RNC for choosing NBC to host the debate, and the decision to have Holt and Welker moderate the debates. An RNC spokesperson added that the organization only chooses the host, not the moderators.
Criticism of Bossie and RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel is “deeply misinformed,” Hewitt tweeted.
“The RNC process was thorough and the focus on GOP primary and caucus electorate a constant theme in the discussions about partners for [Salem Media Group],” Hewitt tweeted. “Lester and Kristen are thorough professionals as is the entire [NBC] team. It will be a serious debate focused on GOP voters”
While some criticized the decision to allow NBC to host the debate, an RNC spokesperson noted to the Daily Caller that they are the first political organization or committee to partner with a Jewish organization for a debate. The decision to partner with the Republican Jewish Coalition, the spokesperson told the Daily Caller, has received lots of positive feedback.
Conservative outlets outside of mainstream media previously expressed their frustration to the Daily Caller over their talks with the RNC about hosting a debate. (Disclosure: Daily Caller’s sister nonprofit The Daily Caller News Foundation was among those under RNC’s consideration for hosting or sponsoring a debate.)
While Nov. 8 marks the third presidential primary debate, there are several more debates to come. The RNC held 11 during its last competitive primary in 2016, according to Ballotpedia.
“I think the question no one ever stops to ask is who are these debates for? Are they for the media? Are they for a sliver of Twitter or x? Are they for donors? Who are these debates for? I thought they were for the voters,” Scott Jennings, a longtime GOP adviser in Kentucky and veteran of numerous campaigns, told the Daily Caller.
If you want change to the debates, you have to do like Trump and put your foot down and not attend.
Your candiduds are doing a good job embarrassing themselves.
The RNC is and will remain a joke as long as Ronna McDaniel is its head.
She knows how to buy flowers and stuff.
How does Fat Ass Christie keep qualifying for these debates?
PDJT is the next candidate, get over it.
The Republican debate is an empty place for losers to ask for more campaign money. Trump’s talk to the auto workers on Sept. 27 was brilliant: vote for Trump or lose jobs making gas cars.
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Next time, listen to whoever is running for Trump's third term, conservative media, Mark Levin and Dan Bongino and drop liberal media from all GOP primary debates, no exceptions...
He brings lots of donuts for everyone!
There are enough stupid people who will continue wasting their money on his candidacy. 🙂
TRUMP 2024 !!
That bought me barely over two years at my final job.
My humble vote: ISGAS
I Scarcely Give A S...
No insult to any of the candidates. Right now, conditions are not right, given the left’s laughable attempts to destroy Trump.
Notice Hewitt sucking up to everybody in sight. Everybody except the Republican voter. Poor sap desperately wants to belong…
Let’s see. DeSanctimonious exposed himself as a traitor snd ingrate. Nutty Hailey caved on red glag laws, confederate statutes and flipped so msny times on Trump i get dizzy yrying to follow her. And NOW she wants US to accept those Palestinians!!!. Tim Scott - i like him but he has no chance. Ditto Ramaswamy. Next turm aroind in 2028 they have my support. Asa Hutchison - an ass straight out of the days of Rockefeller, Keating, Javits, and other limousine liberals. Trump has my support. As for Chris Christie - I WOULD VOTE DEMOCRAT TO KEEP THIS OBNOXIOUS, EGOTISTICAL, TWO FACED, ARROGANT NASTY BULLY OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!
It’s a complete waste of time just like the first 2 debates no one cared about.
they’re losers
Is Meatball wearing his clown boots?
The RNC is and will remain a joke as long as Ronna McDaniel is its head.
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Any principled Republican who provides financial support to any entity of the RNC is contributing to a very dysfunctional organization.
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