Reince Priebus, RNC chair, said today that the fact that Donald Trump continues to flirt with a presidential bid himself makes him an odd choice for a moderator of a GOP debate.
“We appreciate what Mr. Trump has done, but if you’re still talking about potentially running as an independent candidate, I think that’s a problem. I think that would be malpractice for me as an RNC chairman to not believe that that is an issue,” Priebus told Fox News, according to Politico.
So far, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have confirmed they will attend the debate, while Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and Ron Paul have announced they will not attend. Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are still deciding.
On Tuesday, Trump adviser Michael Cohen sent out an e-mail to Trump supporters, urging them to “to help build an even larger Should Trump Run Army” and directing them to visit ShouldTrumpRun.com
“With the Iowa Caucus on January 3rd, it is now more important than ever to have Mr. Trump’s principals guide the process and remain a strong voice for America,” Cohen wrote.
1. Please edit this comment. Did Cohen really mean "principals"?
2. The RNC is doing exactly the right thing. It's providing cover for Bachmann and Gingrich to bow out. Bravo.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, would "principles" really be more applicable to Trump? :)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLove it!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWho are Trump's principals and why should we let a shadowy cabal of educational bureaucrats dominate the primary process?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTrump is a joke, a very unfunny joke. Republicans tarnish their already-compromised brand by aligning themselves with him.
Why do candidates make it a point to visit him and kiss the ring? He's a clown, a sideshow.
Our country has serious problems; we need serious leaders.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think the Trump debate concept is great! Great because it is so ridiculous, and I would bet that it won't happen. Gosh, I wish Santorum would get smart and quickly back out. Then maybe we'd be left with this pair of freaks (Trump and Gingrich) throwing an event to which nobody would come. However they backed it out, it'd be a huge embarrassment for both of them.
As a strategic matter, it is a loser for all of the second tier candidates. Their only remote hope is to topple Gingrich and then compete as the next not-Romney. Their best play to nick Gingrich is to embarrass him by leaving him and the Donald all alone in this thing.
Of course, the segment of the base that is stupid enough to get that feeling up their leg for the political burlesque act that is "The Donald" is as hard to predict in their reactions as a moody 4-year-old. They might actually think that a Newt/Donald or Donald/Newt ticket would be a good idea. Idiots.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAgree with above. Trump is a joke and not worthy of notice. Also, the word should be "principles", not "principals", unless Trump has an army of school administrators running around.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI really don't see any downside for anyone showing up at the Trump debate. Of course Trump is a showman and it has the potential to be a circus but there is also the chance that many who would probably never watch a debate might see it.
All too often we forget that those of us reading this website and paying attention in general are the minority. Huge swaths of the voting public are uninformed, unaware and have little to no interest in politics. If this pulls them away from Jersey Shore or Dancing with the Stars for a few minutes I'm all for it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDonald Trump will do for the Republican Party what he did for the USFL.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRemove Trump as moderator and replace with someone that has even a tenuous association with journalism and all the GOP suitors would attend. Romney will even find a way to change his schedule.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRemember when Trump was polling at 21% back in April.
Those were fun times. 21%.
I weep for the GOP sometimes.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhen the RNC starts doing its job, they'll be less concerned about "sideshows" springing up to fill the market void.
Besides, Trump is not going to run for President as an Independent. This will guarantee an Obama second term. You all may think he is a clown, but he is fabulously wealthy, and smart, clown. What the RNC doesn't like is that somebody outside of Republican circles is acting independently. While I question the choice of Trump as moderator, what if it were Rush Limbaugh instead, and it were completely outside the control of the RNC? I bet they'd still try to squash it.
And exactly how is the RNC any less embarassing than Donald Trump? Maybe if they spent less time trying to appease and coddle Democrats, we would not have to worry about other venues popping up trying to meet the market needs of freedom-loving, limited-government, anti-Beltway conservatives.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't understand why a potential Independant candidate for President - who shares many of the same views as the GOP candidates - is an "odd" choice to be moderator of a GOP debate, but far left journalists who are in the bag for Obama and want to make the GOP candidates look bad are acceptable choices.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseJenna, how would you feel if Chuck Norris decided tomorrow that he wanted to sponsor a debate and went ahead and bought network time and invited the candidates?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wish you hadn't said that! Sarah Palin could pull this off in smashing style....EVERYbody would attend. And the audience would be huge.
But I'd be all pi$$y about it, and would see it as diminishing the seriousness of both conservatism generally and the GOP in particular. Still, this is such a good idea from a showmanship perspective that I bet it is already being worked on. In fact, Trump could invite her to be a co-host and salvage the whole thing thus avoiding personal embarrassment.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse