Politickin' Is Hard

The RNC has suspended plans to partner with NBC News for a February debate, citing a “bad faith” performance by CNBC in Wednesday night’s meeting of the candidates.
  Politico

Oh my. What happened?

In his letter on Friday, [RNC Chair Reince] Priebus argued that CNBC assured the committee that the debate would focus on substantive policy issues like jobs and taxes, but he said the network failed on that count. He also said it failed to guarantee relatively equal speaking time for the candidates.

[...]

"CNBC’s moderators engaged in a series of 'gotcha' questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates,” Priebus wrote in the letter to NBC.

Oh I see. The moderators asked embarrassing questions. Seriously, waaaaah.

But, wait. Maybe that's not the real reason.

In the middle of the CNBC-hosted GOP debate on Wednesday, RNC chief strategist and spokesman Sean Spicer and chief of staff Katie Walsh approached CNBC officials. According to a source familiar with the encounter, the two had a complaint: Jeb Bush wasn’t getting enough questions.

I guess we know who the RNC wants to nominate for the 2016 presidential run.  (Maybe they should be grateful that he didn't get more of those "gotcha" questions they were whining about. Eh?)

Immediately after the CNBC debate, Priebus issued a harsh statement calling CNBC’s handling “disappointing” and campaigns began organizing to meet up and plan a way to take control of future debates. The campaigns are aiming to agree on a list of demands that they will submit to the RNC, which plans to make those demands to the networks for future debates.

[...]

The February forum -- scheduled for Feb. 26, at the University of Houston -- was the only Republican primary debate set to be co-hosted by a Hispanic news organization.

Maybe the campaigns can submit the questions they want asked.  Or maybe the RNC can moderate the debates.  Take the risk out of it.

What do you expect from that commie liberal NBC, anyway? They want Hillary to run against the nuttiest right-winger available. But don't they get that we can't have the Great Dynasty Contest if Jeb doesn't get enough air time - with easy and not-embarrassing questions?

Asked for comment, CNBC spokesperson Brian Steel gave the same statement CNBC gave as the criticism of the debate started pouring in on Wednesday: "People who want to be the leader of the free world should be able to answer tough questions," Steel said.

What? And break with tradition?

And, speaking of 2016 campaigns...

Hillary Clinton is now supporting a federal investigation of ExxonMobil following the latest disclosures that the giant oil company worked to hide the effects of climate change.

  IBTimes

Good on Hillary, you say? Well, think again.

Her call for an investigation comes only months after the company decided to stop sponsoring her family’s foundation.

Yeah, that's more like it.

The Clinton Foundation has accepted at least $1 million from ExxonMobil, despite the company’s history of financing challenges to climate science. And Clinton's State Department touted ExxonMobil as an example of how America should look at Iraq as “a business opportunity.”

And The Rude Pundit sums it up for the RNC:  "At this point, Jeb is a hilariously pitiable figure, a vaudeville clown, a sad sack. It's time for someone to walk him into a field and tell him to look at the rabbits.  [...]  The problem, at the end of the day, is that Jeb Bush isn't the vicious motherfucker his brother was."

But Hillary could be.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.