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After last week’s CNBC fiasco, Republican candidates for president are meeting tonight to discuss their conditions for participating in future debates. A source with one of the campaigns has been texting me from inside the meeting with a list of their demands:
- There will be no “gotcha” questions about math.
- All graphics that appear beside candidates must be approved by the campaign.
- There will be a ten-minute break halfway through the debate.
Each candidate will be allowed to phone a friend for one question.- All 14 candidates will be allowed on the main stage. At the end of each 15-minute period, candidates will vote one participant out of the debate. In the final round, the seven remaining candidates will get to ask the moderators questions.
- No non-English speaking networks will be allowed to participate.
- Each podium will include the candidate’s website address in a minimum of 3-inch type.
- Male moderators must wear red ties.
- Each campaign will be allowed to veto a maximum of two moderators each.
- Fox News will be exempt from all these rules.
- Candidates can “steal” a question from another candidate once per debate.
- Frank Luntz “dial” responses will be run across the screen in real time.
Three of these are real and have been seriously discussed. Can you guess which ones? Answer here.
