Today’s Morning Jolt features a long look at where the GOP candidates stand as September comes to a close, a good question on where the alternatives to Kevin McCarthy are, and then this ominous development for the next Republican presidential debate:
NBC News: Hey, It’s Time to Trim the GOP Field
Though the debate will be on NBC partner CNBC, Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director and the moderator of Meet the Press, is taking part in establishing the debate set up and criteria. And Todd has publicly expressed skepticism about the need to include 10 or 11 candidates, the numbers featured in the first two debates.
“Let’s just say the goal is to create a threshold that candidates have to meet to qualify for the stage rather than committing to putting 10 candidates on the stage. And I don’t think we should commit to more than 10-candidate debates. You have to be viable. So now we’re in debate three it’s time to show viability and only the viable ones survive,” Todd said during an interview on ESPN radio last week.
First, why are we learning, or at least getting hints, about the debate criteria from ESPN radio?
Second, can you think of a better rallying cry for the guys left off stage – presumably Jindal, Santorum, Pataki, Graham, and maybe Rand Paul or Mike Huckabee – than for them to be left out by NBC News? “The liberal media, the parent company of MSNBC, has decided my voice shouldn’t be heard…”
Third, in an era where campaigns are fueled by the fundraising surges that come from televised “moments” – and in a cycle where the RNC set strict rules on how many debates could occur, thus limiting the opportunity for these “moments” – why would the RNC accept NBC News effectively knocking four or five guys off the stage?
Fourth, Fox News and CNN enjoyed monster ratings for having both debates. Why would CNBC want to limit what’s likely to be the most-watched program in their history?