CNBC Moderators Under Fire for Debate "Performances"

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The winner of last night’s GOP debate is a matter of opinion. But there’s no doubt about the identity of the biggest loser. That was CNBC. It wasn’t just that the tone of the questions were insolent and insulting, it was that they were occasionally factually wrong. CNBC moderator John Harwood attacked Marco Rubio’s tax plan by stating that the Tax Foundation said it would help the rich more than the poor. Rubio pointed out to him that Harwood had made that accusation earlier this month, then had to correct his own report because it wasn’t true. Harwood denied having corrected himself, but it’s all there in a Twitter update where Harwood corrected his first report and admitted that the Tax Foundation said that under Rubio’s plan the bottom ten percent of earners do twice as well as the top ten percent. With weeks to prepare for this debate, how is it that John Harwood was still repeating his original false report even after having to correct it himself publicly? That’s sloppy. I found it interesting when moderator Betsy Quick charged Carly Fiorina with having been a bad CEO, which she supported by pointing out that Fiorina was fired by the board of HP. Fiorina stated that they had differences in the board room, but that Tom Perkins who voted to fire her has since stated that it was a mistake to do so. Quick was quick to jump in and attack Perkins for some controversial views, such as believing that only the rich should vote. Fiorina shut her down by stating “that’s why we had differences in the board room”. It didn’t seem to occur to Betsy Quick the weakness of her talking point - Carly Fiorina was fired by a man that Quick holds a low opinion of. Fiorina turned that question around deftly and made the moderator look foolish. Ted Cruz had an outstanding moment when he pointed out the insulting and ridiculous questions asked by the moderators, including John Harwood asking Trump if he was the “comic book version” of a presidential candidate. Audience response was vigorously in agreement with Cruz as he stated “The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media. This is not a cage match. And if you look at he questions—Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain? Ben Carson, can you do math?... Marco Rubio, why don’t you resign? Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?” Chris Christie grabbed a bit of the spotlight in this battle with the media, by sneering at the question about Fantasy Football. He rightly pointed out that regulating Fantasy Football was not a major issue facing the country. The moderators were booed, the candidates were mostly cheered. Despite the poorly-researched questions asked and the insulting statements made by the moderators, a lot of substantive issues were discussed and I think that as that happens more and more, Trump will fade from the spotlight (he under-performed, with emphasis on the “performed” in last night’s debate). Rand Paul was largely ignored by the moderators, and I can only guess it was because they had nothing on him and therefore, had no insults to hurl or accusations to lob. Debates are supposed to be a forum where the voters learn more about where the candidates stand on the issues. It isn’t a showcase for snarky “journalists” to prove how clever they think they are. Perhaps future debate moderators will learn from this debacle and try to live up to the sacred trust of the Fourth Estate.