Republican National Committee Cancels Planned Feb. 26 Debate With NBC News

About time they stood up to the media making a circus out of debates. I would love to see what would happen if they asked Hillary if she was running a "comic book" version of a presidential campaign.

When the "moderators" have an agenda to ask useless questions for the purpose of promoting the Democrats, you need to pull out.

I don't think they had much of a choice as some of the candidates were about to ditch the RNC from their meeting.

thehill.com...

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.

Letter from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to NBC News
gop.com...

Mr. Andrew Lack
Chairman, NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112

Dear Mr. Lack,

I write to inform you that pending further discussion between the Republican National Committee (RNC) and our presidential campaigns, we are suspending the partnership with NBC News for the Republican primary debate at the University of Houston on February 26, 2016. The RNC’s sole role in the primary debate process is to ensure that our candidates are given a full and fair opportunity to lay out their vision for America’s future. We simply cannot continue with NBC without full consultation with our campaigns.

The CNBC network is one of your media properties, and its handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith. We understand that NBC does not exercise full editorial control over CNBC’s journalistic approach. However, the network is an arm of your organization, and we need to ensure there is not a repeat performance.

CNBC billed the debate as one that would focus on “the key issues that matter to all voters—job growth, taxes, technology, retirement and the health of our national economy.” That was not the case. Before the debate, the candidates were promised an opening question on economic or financial matters. That was not the case. Candidates were promised that speaking time would be carefully monitored to ensure fairness. That was not the case. Questions were inaccurate or downright offensive. The first question directed to one of our candidates asked if he was running a comic book version of a presidential campaign, hardly in the spirit of how the debate was billed.

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. What took place Wednesday night was not an attempt to give the American people a greater understanding of our candidates’ policies and ideas.

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.

While we are suspending our partnership with NBC News and its properties, we still fully intend to have a debate on that day, and will ensure that National Review remains part of it.

I will be working with our candidates to discuss how to move forward and will be in touch.

Sincerely,

Reince Priebus
Chairman, Republican National Committee

poor poor republicans...poor babies

originally posted by: Willtell

poor poor republicans...poor babies

Typical Democrat response. "Everybody deserves a fair chance except for everyone/thing that I disagree with".

Disclaimer: I'm not a Republican. Ban political parties and make politicians run based solely on their beliefs, not party lines, if you want real elections.

a reply to: infolurker

Could you imagine the outcry from the left if Matt Drudge was the next DNC debate moderator? Or Sean Hannity? Oh my God they would be throwing their pumpkin spice lattes out their windows!! But it's fine for ultra leftist reporters to moderate Republican debates on ultra left wing news channels.

They don't like how the game is played so they grab the ball and go home. It doesn't even cross their mind that perhaps some of their campaigns are worthy of "comic book" status. Damn near all of their campaigns are a joke. We know it, the media knows it, but somehow it escapes their grasp?

Also, the republican are no stranger to throwing people under the bus in debates. Have we forgotten what Fox News did to Ron Paul in the 2012 debates?



These oversensitive babies need to man-up and let their ideas do the talking, just like Ron Paul did, and not cry about it after the debates.

a reply to: infolurker
The only circus in town are the GOP clowns on offer. Those guys always bring the house down with their crazy antics they've even got the crazy wigs just missing the bright red noses

originally posted by: jjkenobi
a reply to: infolurker

Could you imagine the outcry from the left if Matt Drudge was the next DNC debate moderator? Or Sean Hannity? Oh my God they would be throwing their pumpkin spice lattes out their windows!! But it's fine for ultra leftist reporters to moderate Republican debates on ultra left wing news channels.

No, even better:

Mark Levin! Now, that would be something to see.

a reply to: infolurker

Might as well throw Rush in there too.

Comedy gold!

a reply to: infolurker

When the "moderators" have an agenda to ask useless questions for the purpose of promoting the Democrats, you need to pull out.

The only agenda is the Oligopolies, DNC , GOP , and the MSM versus the consumers and tax payers?

This DNC versus GOP mentality is just a distraction and those that fall for it are the ones that are responsible for ruining this country and for delaying progression for mankind .

CNN . FOXNEWS, CNBC or any MSM source only re hash the same topics in different ways but they all stay away from the real issue .

Each one of the MSM debates focuses on the same things that have been focused on for numerous decades:
1. Immigration
2. Healtcare
3. Sexuality
4. Religion
5. Racism
6. Economy
7. Jobs
8. Medicaid and medicare
9. boxer or briefs , if you could be any animal what would it be, etc......
10. and fluff

The problem with discussing those things is that you are focusing on the symptoms (distraction) and not the problems of this country. Each one of those topic is a symptom of the only issue that neither party or MSM discuss in great detail:

1. Conflict of interest between lobbyist and politicians.
2. revolving doors between gov't regulators and private companies they regulate.
3. congress infinite term limits.
4. Super Pacs.
5. Taking private money for campaign run and Superpacs that lead to half a billion dollar presidency run.

As long at the debates don't touch on those 5 key areas its only for entertainment purposes.

The MSM, GOP and the DNC have all the same agenda , they are merely tools of the Oligopolies and their billions of dollars they use to buy the best congress money can buy.

a reply to: infolurker

This is what happens when you don't have independent moderators...

Put it on PBS and then we will see the true colors shine.

a reply to: infolurker

They say the moderators set them up for attacks, but they do a good job of attacking each other on their own, Trump especially! He's really the one who set the stage for attacks and all the candidates followed in line like ducks to water.

How else is the public going to decipher who is lying and who is telling the truth without them calling each other out on their past performances and their stand on the issues. That's really what a debate is all about! Anderson Cooper was setting up Clinton to attack Sanders on his gun control plans! Conservatives love drama and they're acting like babies. Really, if they want to be president of the United States, they shouldn't be whining because they don't like the questions. Instead prove the media wrong with your answer! Are they going to do the same in a press conference if they become president?

The one thing I found bad on the moderator's part, is they should be proving their allegations when a candidate denies they ever said a particular statement. Donald Trump has a history of denying things he says. Maybe they should have an overhead projector that shows the "quote" so candidates can't try pulling the wool over the publics eyes. It really showed a lack of preparation on the moderator's part.

When all is said and done, it really comes down to this... "if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen!"

a reply to: jjkenobi

How do you get to 'ultra leftist' with these guys. Are they, what, just left of you, or are they just left of Trump, or are the just left of what"? Left of center? Are they left of weak kneed liberals? Are they left of progressives, are they left of socialists? Are they left of communists? Are they left of Marxists or Maoists. Just what does 'ultra leftist mean to you'.

Just because they all work for NBC? Is that it? Is it that you deem this network to be something other than the holy conservative media you want, this makes them 'ultra leftist?

Ask anyone from the catagories listed above, people who ARE of those persuasions and will they claim NBC or those moderators as comrades? Hell no. They will spurn them as at best milquetoast martinets working for a capitalist media outlet. Yes that's right. NBC is a capitalist media outlet, spouting acceptable capitalist propaganda, selling capitalist ideas and promoting various capitalist positions,

Quick, Harwood and Qujintanilla, ultra leftist??? Don't make me laugh.

I heard from a friend who watched the debate that the questions were basically trying to make all of the candidates look bad and / or fight amongst each other. NBC is a liberal news organization, it is interesting to see how biased they are. Would Fox News treat a Democratic Debate the same way? Probably...

Why should NBC consult with their campaigns? Do these Presidential hopefuls expect to get all the questions ahead of time or do they just want to tell NBC what they will or won't talk about. If these candidates cannot handle any question that is given to them on the fly then they don't deserve the most powerful office in our nation.

The GOP has become a party of whiners.

If their candidates can't stand up to the rigor of questions not delivered by sympathetic moderators hand picked by their campaigns, whose fault is that? What is a "gotcha question?" A question that when answered honestly reveals a fundamental shortcoming? Imagine if any of these clowns was put to 10-11 hours of televised grilling by hostile interrogators al a the Benghazi committee farce?

The GOP has already lost this election because they've become weak and they've come to rely on blaming the "lamestream media" for the fact that their own words and deeds make them look bad. That's only going to take them so far — they're not winning over any independent voters with that crap. Whatever happened to personal accountability? Isn't that supposed to be one of the core ideals of contemporary American conservatism?

Where to next? Let's not forget all the crying from Donald Trump over the Fox News moderation and that's the official network of the GOP where they ask "legitimate questions" like "To all 10 debaters: Will you take a pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee and not run as a third-party candidate?"

So what's next? Maybe they could get Boehner to moderate it now that he's got some free time? Then they can all cry together and when it's over he can hand out participation trophies?

originally posted by: theantediluvian
The GOP has become a party of whiners.

If their candidates can't stand up to the rigor of questions not delivered by sympathetic moderators hand picked by their campaigns, whose fault is that?

The Dems are just as bad at their complaining. I'll second what someone else said. I wonder how many Dems would show up to a debate held by Fox News and was moderated by Mark Levin.

My guess is no one would show up.

originally posted by: buster2010
Why should NBC consult with their campaigns? Do these Presidential hopefuls expect to get all the questions ahead of time or do they just want to tell NBC what they will or won't talk about. If these candidates cannot handle any question that is given to them on the fly then they don't deserve the most powerful office in our nation.

So that they can all be assured of getting handled with kid gloves and given softball questions to which they can respond with prepared responses (possibly written on their hands).

After all, the GOP doesn't want a debate, they want a two hour joint campaign commercial.

Looks like they should have "worked harder" to move the questions into the topics they felt important. If they can't manage that, then they definitely can't manage a country.

originally posted by: darkbake
I heard from a friend who watched the debate that the questions were basically trying to make all of the candidates look bad and / or fight amongst each other. NBC is a liberal news organization, it is interesting to see how biased they are. Would Fox News treat a Democratic Debate the same way? Probably...

So you're opinion is being based off your friends opinion and therefore we should all then take that as credible???

Boy the standards have really dropped for sighting credible information around here.

The leftist media bias is pretty glaring. I'm glad the RNC finally grew a pair. I don't get why the RNC ceded control of their debates to these media hacks anyway.

Immediately after the debate, the NYT on line ran an article asking people "What was the most ridiculous thing said at the RNC debate?" Of course, they didn't ask the same question after the Democratic debate.

Can you imagine a moderator asking Hillary, "You claim there is a war on women by conservatives. In light of your husband's philandering and multiple accusations of sexual assault, what credibility to do you have in making this claim?"

or

Mrs. Clinton, can you name one accomplishment of yours since you were first lady?

I do think several things are going on here though. The first is the RNC was blindsided by the popularity of the non-establishment candidates - Trump, Carson, & Cruz. The RINOs absolutely do not want anything to do with them and realyl want them to implode as much as the Democrats. As such, I think they were trying to set up the debates to favor their chosen one - Jeb Bush. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear Jeb has a chance in hell and the RNC can't figure out how to get themselves out of this pickle.