Mike Allen on the CNN Republican Presidential debates this Wednesday.
( H/T to JohnM)
---------------------------------------
THE CONVERSATION: Wednesday's debate will be the opposite of last. In the first debate, candidates were mostly deferential to Trump, figuring they didn't want to have his barbs, or his supporters' ire, directed at them. This time, everyone's gonna pile on - this is the "Thump and dump Trump" debate. CNN promos have been portraying the debate as a title fight between Trump and Jeb, and moderator Jake Tapper is as high-testosterone as you're going to find.
CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker told the L.A. Times' Steve Battaglio, when asked about promos making the debate look like pay-per-view boxing: "That was the idea ... This is Round 2 of a heavyweight bout."
An aide to one of the GOP candidates told Playbook: "When both the moderator and the candidates want a fight, you can be pretty sure what's going to happen."
Jeb, who has sounded lately like he ate his Wheaties, wants to rub the Low-T cracks in Trump's face. Trump also talks condescendingly about Carson, who'll want to show energy commensurate with his rising strength in polls. Walker needs a jolt, and Fiorina owes Trump one after his Rolling Stone jab at her appearance. The only one who's likely to resist is Rubio, with his sit-back strategy, and fallback plan of being an attractive V.P. choice.
JAKE TAPPER to BRIAN STELTER yesterday on CNN's "Reliable Sources": "[W]hat the team and I have been doing is trying to craft questions that, in most cases, pit candidates against the other -- specific candidates on the stage, on issues where they disagree, whether it's policy or politics or leadership. Let's actually have them discuss and debate. ... [T]hey're going to want to talk to the camera and they're going to get out their talking points, but I am going to attempt to get them to address each other and actually debate."
--On handling Trump: "f there are interruptions, ... you want to sit back and let that happen and let candidates debate and let the organic process run its course. If it gets out of control, if it gets out of hand, you want to say, 'Excuse me. I'm sorry, we'd like to let everybody have a turn,' or 'Let's try to follow the rules of the debate. ...
--On being attacked: "I anticipate that somebody ... is going to take a shot at me as the straw man, as the stand-in for the media writ large. ... I mean, the media is a whipping boy, and it's a Republican debate. Let's be frank. Republicans often take issue with the media writ large. ... My job is ... if they're raising an issue that I think needs explaining, to explain quickly but generally just to move on to the next question, because ... ISIS, health care, jobs - these are topics that are much more important than me." Video cnn.it |
