In a recent op-ed in Breitbart, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer emphasized the need for the Republican National Committee (RNC) to again take the lead in sanctioning, managing, and controlling the Republican primary presidential debates. This would continue the tradition started in 2016, when the RNC first used its clout to organize that groundbreaking first debate in Cleveland, Ohio. Now, it’s crucial for the RNC to build upon the successes of that cycle as conservative voters pick our next nominee.
Before 2016, neither political party had a role in formulating and sanctioning their respective presidential primary debates. The mainstream media had complete control, dictating every aspect of the debates. But all of that changed when the RNC created a new Standing Committee on Presidential Debates, resulting in the first successful effort by either party to control the primary debate process.
The RNC then partnered with multiple mainstream media outlets, ensuring that every debate was centered around conservative policy elements. Starting in August 2015, the RNC held one debate per month, broadening the reach of Republican debates. In January 2016, the RNC upped the ante with two debates a month. Gone were the days of back-to-back debates with biased, left-wing moderators.
But now, as we head into the 2024 presidential cycle, the RNC must continue to make progress. We need exclusively conservative outlets and moderators questioning our candidates. Let’s face it, left-leaning media outlets like CNN, NBC, the Washington Post, and Politico are openly biased against our party and its candidates, and should not be allowed to control and influence our party’s candidate selection process.
Instead, we should have conservative media outlets partnering with conservative media groups. “Salem Media could partner with Breitbart. Real America’s Voice could partner with Turning Point USA. Rumble, TBN, CPAC, the Daily Caller, the Blaze, the Washington Times, the First, AMAC or other right leaning groups could join forces to host a debate. Further, in order to ensure that the widest possible audience can view the debates, C-SPAN should be permitted access to the live feed of any RNC debate, thereby alleviating any viewership-related concerns.”
Rather than relying upon hostile moderators like Chuck Todd, Jim Acosta, and Andrea Mitchell, we need moderators who understand the issues of the right, such as Tucker Carlson, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, Dan Bongino, and Liz Wheeler, among many others. The goal of moderators should be to reflect the pulse of grassroots voters and ask questions the audience cares about, not to generate clicks from embarrassing moments.
The RNC’s obligation is to Republican voters and candidates, not to corporate media tycoons who despise our party’s values and candidates. In 2015, many said that taking control of the Republican presidential debates was doomed to fail. But the will of our committee members was firm, and we made history. The RNC can do the same in this election cycle, leading the way to provide a huge service to GOP candidates and voters.
