(H/T: Hot Air Headlines) Byron York, on the RNC’s sudden realization that the Year of Hell that was the 2012 Republican primary may not have been the smartest thing that we’ve ever done. Anyway, they’re going to revamp the blessed thing (bolding mine):
…who should conduct the debates in 2016? “That’s a tricky question,” says Fleischer. “Putting on a proper live debate is no simple matter, and usually the people who are good at it are the networks or the cables. So it’s something we’ve got to work through and talk through, to figure out how the debates are going to be reflective of what a Republican primary voter thinks.” In the end, the party might decide to assign a few debates to organizations that did not conduct them in 2012.
YES. THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.
Moe Lane
Contributing Editor, RedState.com.
I definitely agree – although I don’t want to get rid of the hostile debate moderators entirely. They’re good to help expose problems that the candidates have earlier, rather than later.
I think that reforming the main debates is more important, though. My ideal format for those would be three debates. One where the Democrats pick the moderator, one where the Republicans pick the moderator, and one with no moderator other than a timekeeper, where the candidates ask each other questions. Of course, this will never happen.