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Republicans Accuse Media of Nasty Attack

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Republicans Accuse Media of Nasty Attack
Republicans Accuse Media of Nasty Attack
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Republicans Accuse Media of Nasty Attack

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Republican presidential candidates tore into CNBC’s moderators at Wednesday night’s GOP debate, launching their sharpest attacks yet on mainstream media in the 2016 race.

  Sen. Ted Cruz accused the moderators of pushing for a cage match. Sen. Marco Rubio called the media a super PAC for Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump slammed them for asking “ridiculous questions.”   The criticism didn’t stop on stage. By Thursday morning, candidates were back on air blasting CNBC for the tone and substance of the debate. Campaign representatives also planned to air grievances directly to the Republican National Committee in a conference call.   RNC Chairman Reince Priebus quickly backed them. He blasted CNBC for “gotcha” questions and said the network “should be ashamed.” Speaking to reporters in Boulder, he added, “I was very disappointed in the moderators. I thought they would host a fair forum, but it turned into one low blow after another.”   Priebus said the moderators designed questions to confuse rather than inform. “I’m proud our candidates stuck together, but I’m deeply disappointed with CNBC,” he added. In a formal statement, he promised to push for fairer debates in the future.   The attacks thrilled the conservative base, which already distrusts mainstream media. Even by Republican standards, the pile-on against CNBC was unusually fierce, drawing cheers from the Boulder audience. Many compared it to the anti-media attacks of the 2012 GOP debates.   “People who want to be President should handle tough questions,” Priebus said, while stressing future debates must focus more on substance.   Rubio repeated the complaint on CNN’s New Day, saying moderators failed to address important issues.   CNBC’s moderators struggled to control the debate. Many journalists on Twitter said they looked unprepared, more comfortable covering Wall Street than a presidential race. At one point, Jeb Bush’s campaign manager Danny Diaz pounded on the control room door, yelling at producers for failing to give candidates equal time, according to a rival campaign source.   The chaotic night left Republicans nostalgic for Fox News and CNN’s earlier debate moderators.   Cruz’s fiery exchange became the night’s viral moment. Social media mentions of him surged, and pollster Frank Luntz said his focus group “burst out in applause.”   CNBC’s woes grew worse with its clumsy commentary between the two debates, widely mocked on Twitter. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweeted, “CNBC underscores that the only people sometimes more vapid than candidates are journalists talking about candidates.”   Also Read: India’s Forex Reserves Climb to $698.95 Billion

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