Reince Priebus and the debate season from hell
Reince Priebus and the debate season from hell
How the Republican National Committee got stuck between angry GOP campaigns and hungry TV networks.
Halfway through Wednesday’s off-the-rails CNBC debate, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus realized he was witnessing a chain-reaction wreck. By the time it ended, he knew it was headed straight for him.
Priebus has always been keenly aware that the Republican Party has become increasingly vulnerable to outside forces, starting with the unexpected emergence this year of uncontrollable to-hell-with-the-establishment candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson. But outrage over the third GOP debate, during which the candidates and grassroots conservatives attacked the media with a lusty vengeance, posed a new threat – and Priebus has been fighting ferociously to maintain control of a process he believes is central to reviving the party’s battered brand and preserving the RNC’s relevance.
Over the past two days, the 43-year-old Wisconsinite has been burning out his iPhone battery – working the lines constantly to head off a revolt by campaigns who want to wrestle the process away from the RNC to suit their individual agendas. In addition to rebuking CNBC, his subtle message to the GOP candidates was simple: We’ve got your back.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/rnc-...
How the Republican National Committee got stuck between angry GOP campaigns and hungry TV networks.
Halfway through Wednesday’s off-the-rails CNBC debate, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus realized he was witnessing a chain-reaction wreck. By the time it ended, he knew it was headed straight for him.
Priebus has always been keenly aware that the Republican Party has become increasingly vulnerable to outside forces, starting with the unexpected emergence this year of uncontrollable to-hell-with-the-establishment candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson. But outrage over the third GOP debate, during which the candidates and grassroots conservatives attacked the media with a lusty vengeance, posed a new threat – and Priebus has been fighting ferociously to maintain control of a process he believes is central to reviving the party’s battered brand and preserving the RNC’s relevance.
Over the past two days, the 43-year-old Wisconsinite has been burning out his iPhone battery – working the lines constantly to head off a revolt by campaigns who want to wrestle the process away from the RNC to suit their individual agendas. In addition to rebuking CNBC, his subtle message to the GOP candidates was simple: We’ve got your back.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/rnc-...
