Real Presidents Don't Whine

The third GOP presidential "debate" has been held.  It drew higher ratings and had more viewers than either of the first two.  Yet no one in Republican World is happy.  In fact, they all claim to be thoroughly pissed off at CNBC and its moderators.  They are so unhappy that RNC Obergruppenfuhrer Herr Reince Priebus has cancelled a future GOP debate which was to have aired on NBC.  That'll show 'em, Reince!

So, what's problem?  Why are the R's whining about CNBC?  (Mind you, CNBC is the financial news network that is home to numerous supply side/trickle down wackos and screaming reporter Rick Santelli, who helped launch the Tea Party.)

The moderators were unfair.  They interrupted the candidates' answers.  (Chris Christie:  "I'll do the interrupting around here!")  They asked stupid questions.  They didn't "play ball" to the party's satisfaction.  Waaah!

Math-challenged Ben Carson complained about "gotcha" questions, and suggested that what America really needed was a meet-the-candidates coffee klatch, where he could talk about his family, his favorite TV shows, and the secret ingredient in his award-winning chili.

Donald Trump said that all moderators at GOP debates ought to be registered Republicans.  (Hey Donny, how do know they're not?)   Ted Cruz wants future debates to be moderated by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity!  (Those two loudmouths would be the most immoderate moderators imaginable!)
 
All this media bashing is strictly old hat -- ancient GOP tactics which they never grow tired of.  According to them, all media (with one notable exception) are nothing but lame-stream, liberal Democrats/Progressives/Commies.  They're all against us!  Always have been.  Waaah again!

Forty years ago, all presidential debates, primary and general, were conducted by the League of Women Voters, and the women ran a tight ship.  The GOP bashed them for imaginary unfairness anyway.  By 1988, the League was so disgusted by the blatant gamesmanship and unreasonable format requests from both parties that they just quit.  Our debates have been on a steady downhill slide ever since.

They no longer bear any resemblance to a real debate.  They are just a sham, a farce, a shout-down contest -- thanks, Rush, you asshole! --  with few rules, most of which are ignored anyway.  Post-event, I saw several graphics ranking the candidates by the length of time they spoke -- as if their sheer number of words and their duration had some significance.  It's all a dumb joke.  

Care for some cheese to
go with that whine?

The GOP's complaints are misplaced and pathetic, because everything about each of the primary debates is negotiable and dependent upon RNC approval.  The date, time, network, moderators, venue, and every detail of the rules and format used at the CNBC debate -- all were previously discussed and agreed upon by Herr Priebus.  (His after-the-fact whining is particularly pathetic.)  So it's just sour grapes -- the R's are cranky because it wasn't the puff-ball love-fest they envisioned.

Without a doubt, there were times when CNBC's moderators interrupted, and were unfair and stupid.  It was no different in earlier debates.  Deal with it.  Every day, the President of the United States copes with tons more unfairness, stupidity and interruption than any person on earth, more than you can possibly fathom.  If you can't handle three goofy CNBC reporters for a couple hours, you sure as hell can't handle The Big Job.