Chewing over Charlie’s argument . . .
Trump or no Trump, the GOP needs to start informing the media that it will no longer play ball unless massive reforms are made. No more Candy Crowleys. No more David Muirs. No more selective fact-checking, absurd framing, or glaring double-standards. If the press can manage that, it gets to play dress-up again. Until then, though, the game ought to be over.
There is one more debate that is definitely scheduled for this autumn: On October 1, the vice-presidential debate will be moderated by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation moderator and CBS News foreign-affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
I’ve heard quite a few Republicans insist that last night was the worst and most biased moderation of a debate ever. We can debate whether these moderators overtake strong competitors such as Candy Crowley, George Stephanopoulos, or Gwen Ifill, but the key question for Republicans and the Trump campaign at this moment is, Do they think Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will be fairer?
If not, or if they think the moderation quality will be about the same, should J. D. Vance participate or withdraw?
The obvious argument against withdrawal is that Vance is almost certainly going to prove to be a much better debater — quicker on his feet, sharper, clearer, with way more ability to recall specific policy facts and figures than Trump is. I wouldn’t be that surprised if Vance mopped the floor with Tim Walz. Of course, if Vance won the debate even with hostile or biased moderators, it would indicate that the problem isn’t really the biased moderators. The problem is Trump’s inability to overcome biased moderators. (I seem to remember being told, “He fights.”)
I put the question to Hugh Hewitt this morning, and Hugh argued that once you’ve agreed to a debate, you have to show up.
One last wrinkle: The audience for last night’s debate is estimated at just under 58 million people. Is it worth it for the Republican nominee to turn down an opportunity to appear before an audience that large just because the moderators are going to be biased?