At least it’s not Kim Kardashian: Stop the blogging software! Donald Trump will moderate the next GOP debate.
You read that right. Is this part of an MSM conspiracy? Not unless conservative magazine Newsmax is a front for Media Matters (and that would take some brilliance…unlike this — so scratch that theory). It’s Newsmax itself which is sponsoring the event, which is to air on ION Television, formerly PAX TV. Newsmax brass must have had a say in the matter.
Is it really such a bad idea? The Donald is feisty and — let’s face it — entertaining. Is that what this is all about? “The real estate mogul carries weight with a certain element of the conservative base. And that sway seems particularly strong with the Tea Party wing of the base,” says the NYT. I don’t know how true that last sentence is, but what is clear is that Donald Trump is no Obama-fawning cable news talking head. That has to be worth something.
ION‘s viewership is smaller, since it’s not available in all markets — and it’s absent from some important ones. So this might this just be a smart business decision. Such a high-profile moderator would deliver more viewers than a more regular newscaster type.
But Trump – unless I’m reading him wrong – also likes to be the center of attention. And no political debate should be about the moderator. So I hope the whole thing doesn’t backfire into a big fat mess of Trumposity.
UPDATE: Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman are not impressed.
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