In the aftermath of the CNBC debacle in Wednesday’s Republican debate, the GOP has proven itself determined to milk this for all it is worth. On Friday, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus announced that the GOP would be “suspending the partnership with NBC News for the Republican primary debate at the University of Houston on February 26, 2016.”
Priebus noted that CNBC’s “handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith” and said the GOP needed “to ensure that there is not a repeat performance.”
Now, let us get this out of the way. The moderators were terrible. Whatever you may think of Donald Trump, starting the debate by comparing him to a comic book is highly inappropriate. The moderators were confrontational and asked questions which could be considered insulting throughout the debate.
And if that was not bad enough, the moderators could not even keep their facts straight. Moderator Becky Quick admitted she was confused during a confrontation with Trump, who responded with “I don’t know. You people write this stuff.”
So why were they so terrible? Conservatives have been claiming that the debate was just another example of the bias of the liberal education and skills system. But the reality is much simpler. The CNBC moderators asked questions throughout the night with the intention of starting an internal fight for the sake of better ratings.
Remember, the CNBC debate drew 14 million viewers. While that is lower than the viewers for the previous two GOP debates, it is a massive boost in viewership compared to the 2012 election debates thanks largely to Trump.
These debates’ mass viewership means that CNBC or CNN or Fox have an incentive to boost ratings even more. And one way to do that is to ask questions or attempt to provoke the candidates into arguing with each other.
But as Ted Cruz observed to the cheers of the audience, this is not a cage match. A debate where Trump and Bush and the rest of the candidates engage in two hours of verbal sparring is certainly entertaining. But it is not good for this country.
Everyone, whether liberal or conservative, would be better off in a format where the candidates seriously talked about the issues without trying to one up each other or get on the next YouTube highlight reel. And the CNBC debate failed to do that.
By declaring that the GOP will be withdrawing from the NBC debate on January 26, Priebus has the opportunity to establish a debate format which will be less entertaining but more informative. Perhaps there will be fewer candidates so that the ones on the stage feel less pressured to interrupt and grab additional speaking time. Perhaps the moderators will actually be prepared this time.
Whatever the changes, the mess of the CNBC debate may be the moment when these debates change for the better. Reince Priebus’s decision to withdraw represents a real opportunity for the GOP to show their maturity. Let us hope that he uses it.