GOP campaigns craft letter to networks with debate format changes

And I guess the GOP's letters aren't enough -- Trump's decided to take matters into his own hands and negotiate directly:

Donald Trump’s campaign said the real estate mogul would negotiate his terms directly with television executives instead of as part of a joint effort with his rivals.

The move by Trump, coming just hours after his and other campaigns huddled in a Washington suburb to craft a three-page letter of possible demands, thwarts an effort to find consensus after what most candidates agreed was a debacle hosted by CNBC last week.

...

While two of Trump’s senior aides — Lewandowski and counselor Donald F. McGahn — attended the Sunday huddle, they were far from ready to sign the letter, and they left the session unconvinced that a cooperative push on the debates would be helpful to protecting Trump’s front-runner status or providing him with the most possible airtime, according to attendees.

Washington Post

So what this really is about is making the candidates "look good" -- as I said earlier, "reality TV". The sad thing is, Americans eat this stuff up like candy. These technically aren't even "debates" -- more like a Q&A session with arguing. If you've ever taken a debate class or competed on a collegiate debate team you'd know this.

This is all just media exposure for the candidates, and they want to be primped, primed, preened and presented in the best possible light. As I said earlier, keep an eye out for who the camera seems to love the most -- and who gets the easiest questions and most time to respond. That candidate, I assure you, is the GOP's hand-picked golden boy.

I don't know why they just don't do the entire thing on FOX -- and have FOX News cable anchors host it.

LOL When I first heard about the GOP "negotiating terms" with the networks, the first thing I thought of was those "riders" that celebrities and signers have for their dressing rooms and tour buses -- the "requirements" that the celebrity demands more or less. Here's an example of Adelle's:

We are vetting the candidates, not the other way around. What a bunch of babies. If you are planning on running this nation, you should be able to handle any question, from anybody. In fact, you should welcome the challenge (it's not like it was MSNBC hosting the debate). But with this lot, no matter what the question, we aren't missing out on any substantive answers.

why do people still participate in the elections? Its all a big ol' tube of baloney.

a reply to: introvert

Mmmm, the GOP is doomed.....and they know it.
Final flailings of a lost cause.
Let them RIP.

I don't find this funny. It's more like taking another step down into an abyss.

It's sad to see that the current roster of GOP candidates have been reduced to posturing. Since when did smack talk and media bashing equate to presidential material?

To the GOP: For crying out loud, stop being posers and start acting in a dignified manner more befitting to lead the nation. The world is laughing at you.

I was just reading some old 2012 election news articles, and honestly Romney and Herman Cain seem a lot more reasonable and electable. I think if the GOP had the 2012 line up vs. the current Democrat line up, it would be a *much* tighter race.

As it stands right now, its like watching WWE wrestling with men in suits.

EDIT: My better half just informed me Trump has actually been inducted into the WWE hall of fame. I had to check, and yup:

Trump will join the Hall of Fame as a celebrity where he will become a peer with the likes of Drew Carey, Pete Rose, Bob Uecker and Mike Tyson. Like him, or hate him, The Donald makes people notice him, and in this way alone, he is a fitting addition into the WWE's Hall of Fame.

Link

Yeah, Romeny doesn't look so bad as a Republican candidate these days actually. I never, ever, thought I'd say that.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I liked Moderate Mitt ... until he went off the deep end trying to cater to the far-right fringe in the Republican party (which has become the standard rather than the exception, sadly.)

It was actually painful to watch. You could tell he was merely trying to remember the proper coaching lines instead of just speaking from his heart ... and it came out like the gibberish it is.

Toward the end, I felt bad for him ... and like you, I never thought I'd be saying that.

a reply to: Flatfish

So now after years and years of left wingers complaining about fox, bias is suddenly a good thing when left wingers do it. Why am I not surprised?

originally posted by: maria_stardust
It's sad to see that the current roster of GOP candidates have been reduced to posturing. Since when did smack talk and media bashing equate to presidential material?

To the GOP: For crying out loud, stop being posers and start acting in a dignified manner more befitting to lead the nation. The world is laughing at you.

. Have you forgotten all the media bashing Obama did?

originally posted by: TheBulk
a reply to: Flatfish

So now after years and years of left wingers complaining about fox, bias is suddenly a good thing when left wingers do it. Why am I not surprised?

Herein lies the problem. The Right Wingers think asking tough questions and holding people accountable for the things they say and do is, clearly, evidence of bias. But, in fact, it's called journalism.

Fox News is not journalism and not only do they ask tough questions and try to hold people accountable, they do so with lies and disinformation.

When Fox News begins to act like a real news organization, then we can actually compare them to the rest of the media.

originally posted by: introvert
Herein lies the problem. The Right Wingers think asking tough questions and holding people accountable for the things they say and do is, clearly, evidence of bias. But, in fact, it's called journalism.

Except when Fox does it to Democrats, then its disinformation and bias. It's quite amazing how not self aware you are.

originally posted by: TheBulk
a reply to: Flatfish

So now after years and years of left wingers complaining about fox, bias is suddenly a good thing when left wingers do it. Why am I not surprised?

I don't think I've every complained about Fox News bias.

It's their bald faced lying and the fact that Fox News went to court. fought for and won, the right to lie on air and fire their reporters who refused to broadcast their lies.

When candidates go around saying and doing stupid bigoted things to attract the support of the radical fringes of society, they should expect to be questioned on their behavior.

I don't think it's "biased" when someone ask you to explain something you actually said and/or did. It might sound stupid and embarrassing but questioning someone on their actual deeds is not bias.

If the Republican candidates don't want to be questioned about stupid crap they've said and done, they should either quit doing and saying stupid crap or be ready to defend their actions.

If anything, this is a pathetic display of the "I can dish it out, but I can't take it" childish mentality of the modern day GOP.

Maybe just maybe, if the other GOP candidates and their campaigns stoop up and questioned some of the crazy crap their adversaries have been doing and saying, they wouldn't have their biggest lunatics leading their polls.

Meh, I see it as typical negotiations. Ask for way more than you expect and find a half-way point. Obama could learn a few things instead of 'my way or an executive order.'

I don't think the GOP should expect any delicate treatment, but I'd like to see the Dems get the same level of undercutting and false narrative backhand questions that can be turned into soundbites. I'd also like to see the Dems willing to go on a FNC forum with some known conservative moderators.

originally posted by: Flatfish

originally posted by: TheBulk
a reply to: Flatfish

So now after years and years of left wingers complaining about fox, bias is suddenly a good thing when left wingers do it. Why am I not surprised?

I don't think I've every complained about Fox News bias.

It's their bald faced lying and the fact that Fox News went to court. fought for and won, the right to lie on air and fire their reporters who refused to broadcast their lies.

When candidates go around saying and doing stupid bigoted things to attract the support of the radical fringes of society, they should expect to be questioned on their behavior.

I don't think it's "biased" when someone ask you to explain something you actually said and/or did. It might sound stupid and embarrassing but questioning someone on their actual deeds is not bias.

If the Republican candidates don't want to be questioned about stupid crap they've said and done, they should either quit doing and saying stupid crap or be ready to defend their actions.

If anything, this is a pathetic display of the "I can dish it out, but I can't take it" childish mentality of the modern day GOP.

Maybe just maybe, if the other GOP candidates and their campaigns stoop up and questioned some of the crazy crap their adversaries have been doing and saying, they wouldn't have their biggest lunatics leading their polls.

Your entire perception of things (and those of the moderators) is completely shaped by partisan, democrat media. It's all spin and disinformation. You're a victim of what you claim to be against! Everything you're saying could be attributed to democrats, but of course in your mind that's completely different for some reason or another.

originally posted by: TheBulk

originally posted by: Flatfish

originally posted by: TheBulk
a reply to: Flatfish

So now after years and years of left wingers complaining about fox, bias is suddenly a good thing when left wingers do it. Why am I not surprised?

I don't think I've every complained about Fox News bias.

It's their bald faced lying and the fact that Fox News went to court. fought for and won, the right to lie on air and fire their reporters who refused to broadcast their lies.

When candidates go around saying and doing stupid bigoted things to attract the support of the radical fringes of society, they should expect to be questioned on their behavior.

I don't think it's "biased" when someone ask you to explain something you actually said and/or did. It might sound stupid and embarrassing but questioning someone on their actual deeds is not bias.

If the Republican candidates don't want to be questioned about stupid crap they've said and done, they should either quit doing and saying stupid crap or be ready to defend their actions.

If anything, this is a pathetic display of the "I can dish it out, but I can't take it" childish mentality of the modern day GOP.

Maybe just maybe, if the other GOP candidates and their campaigns stoop up and questioned some of the crazy crap their adversaries have been doing and saying, they wouldn't have their biggest lunatics leading their polls.

Your entire perception of things (and those of the moderators) is completely shaped by partisan, democrat media. It's all spin and disinformation. You're a victim of what you claim to be against! Everything you're saying could be attributed to democrats, but of course in your mind that's completely different for some reason or another.

You might want to pose that argument to the man in the mirror instead of attempting to project your own misconceptions on others.

"And then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators,” Obama said to loud applause from the audience of Democratic donors.

“If you can’t handle those guys, then I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.”

Barack Obama

Not a huge fan of the Republican debate or this years crop of republican candidates but...if the Democratic Candidates tried this they'd all be banned from the rest of the primary debates...period! LOL

originally posted by: TheBulk
a reply to: Flatfish

So now after years and years of left wingers complaining about fox, bias is suddenly a good thing when left wingers do it. Why am I not surprised?

It's more like for decades, and even before Fox existed the GOP/Republcians and conservatives have complained about liberal media bias. I've already pointed out, however, that conservatives have had a stranglehold on AM talk radio this entire time.