When it comes to partisan news coverage, it doesn’t get any worse than MSNBC. Yet, even MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle couldn’t find anything objectionable about the Republican National Committee’s demands for reform of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).
“They want the debates to happen before early voting starts, term limits for the commission’s board, and a ban on any partisan political activity for the people in the commission,” Ruhle said. “I am a mere mortal. I have never been involved in debates about debates, but when I read those three, I kind of think, I don’t know, they sound reasonable.”
The RNC said it will not allow Republican candidates for president to participate in the CPD’s presidential debates unless these reforms are made.
For Our VIP Subscribers: Here’s Why the RNC Will Refuse to Participate in Presidential Debates
The Republican Party has complained about blatantly biased moderators for years. In 2012, for example, CNN reporter Candy Crowley incorrectly fact-checked Mitt Romney in the middle of a debate with Barack Obama. She never once fact-checked Barack Obama for any of the falsehoods he said.
The RNC is also calling for the CPD to “establish transparent criteria for selecting debate moderators that would disqualify individuals from consideration who have apparent conflicts of interest due to personal, professional, or partisan factors” and “enact a transparent code of conduct for moderators in conducting debates, including guidelines for appropriate interactions with the participating nominees.”
If MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle can admit that the RNC’s proposals sound reasonable, then I’m sure anyone who actually takes the time to read them with an open mind would, too.
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