We all remember what happens when the mainstream media moderates GOP primary debates. It becomes a deliberately staged circus.
For instance, let's think about George Stefanopoulos moderating a GOP presidential debate, perhaps during 2012. He had served as communication director for the Clinton '92 campaign, and held high positions in the Clinton White House. He is reported to have daily phone pow-wow's with James Carville, Paul Begala, and Rahm Emanuel. And yet, he was permitted to moderate.
The Daily Haymaker now reports that Time Warner News and McClatchy are sponsoring a GOP Senate debate on April 22; and WRAL on April 23. I suppose we can take solace that relatively few citizens rely on these statewide debates and tune in.
However, it is the height of lunacy for the state GOP to grant this much power to the mainstream media to vet its candidates. Even the national GOP has taken steps to avoid this kind of mistake in the future.
But here in North Carolina, the GOP continues to engage in self-destructive behavior-- unless, of course, the state party is hoping the media will throw the debate to Thom Tillis.
Have any special measures been taken to assure that the moderators will be objective; or that they will query the candidates from a conservative point of view? If so, are the assurances airtight?
If not, I think the conservative candidates ought to consider strongly the possibility of refraining from participation in these debates. They ought to presume that the media cannot be trusted; and that they will seek an opportunity to make conservatives look bad. They need to presume that any MSM moderators will use their own worldview as the gold standard from which candidates will be expected not to deviate.
If conservative Republicans refuse to learn from experience, they will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes, over and over again.
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