Which Republican Campaign Made These Debate Demands?
On Sunday night, the managers for 13 Republican presidential campaigns huddled in a Hilton hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, to hammer out acceptable parameters for the debates set to take place over the next several months. Technically this was the Republican National Committee’s job, but it was a job the RNC, in the candidates’ opinions, had failed to adequately perform.
With the help of Republican lawyer Ben Ginsberg, representatives for the campaign drafted a form letter with a set of demands and a list of questions that would help inform whether they would agree to participate in future debates. (According to the Washington Post, which obtained the leaked draft, none of the presidential campaigns have signed off on the letter yet.)
Some of the requests are oddly specific, like when the campaigns ask the networks to promise they won’t “show an empty podium after a break (describe how far away the bathrooms are).”
So, which candidates are responsible for which demands? It’s safe to say none come from Carly Fiorina or Chris Christie — theirs were the only two campaigns who did not send envoys to the meeting. But the rest of them? That’s anyone’s (informed) guess. Here are ours:
“A minimum 30-second opening statement and a minimum 30-second closing statement for each participant“
We know from the infamous pre-CNBC debate conference call that Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Rand Paul were ready to boycott a debate that did not accommodate both opening and closing statements. Paul’s campaign manager was quoted saying, “If we don’t have opening and closing statements, CNBC can go f— themselves.” (CNBC ultimately allowed closing statements, but not opening ones during the October 28 debate.)
“Candidate pre-approval of any graphics and bios you plan to include in your broadcast about each candidate”
According to the Post, this demand came straight from Jeb Bush’s campaign manager, Danny Diaz. (Diaz’s other demand — that the group reinstate the suspended Telemundo debate — was reportedly spiked by Trump’s campaign manager.)
“There be no ‘lightning rounds'”
This demand recalls the cringeworthy moment in the second GOP debate when candidates were asked which woman they would put on the $10 bill. Several couldn’t name a single female American historical figure they thought deserved the honor: Mike Huckabee named his wife, Ben Carson nominated his mother and Jeb Bush said he’d want to see the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on American currency.
“Detail which polls [will determine inclusion in the debates] and why each poll’s methodology and sample size is acceptable to you”
The candidate who would be most concerned with this question is Rand Paul, who very nearly didn’t make the cut for the third Republican debate when his poll numbers fell dangerously close to the threshold for inclusion.
“Will you commit to provide equal time/an equal number of questions of equal quality (substance as opposed to ‘gotcha’ or frivolous) to each candidate?”
Rand Paul’s camp would have the most motivation to lobby for equal time, too — their candidate has ranked at or near the bottom, in terms of speaking time, in all three debates.
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