Republican Party Plans to Withdraw From Presidential Debates, Shocking People They Thought They Were Debating in First Place

The Republican party has signaled its intent to withdraw from traditional presidential debates, shocking people who thought they were debating in the first place. In a letter sent by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), the former cited longstanding complaints that the debate process is rigged. More importantly, this news also proves that this is the first time that Republicans have ever pulled out of anything.

After months of discussions between the two, the RNC has now made their threat official, “mirroring increasing rancor from conservatives toward Washington-based institutions”. The CPD was established in 1987 as a non-partisan body to ensure that “general election debates between or among the leading candidates for the offices of president and vice-president are a permanent part of the electoral process”. So it comes as no surprise that the RNC would attempt to undermine the legitimacy of American democratic institutions.

David Bossie, a longtime alt-right operative and one of Trump’s cronies, is reportedly leading the issue. Among other aims, the RNC is looking to insert political “representatives” in CPD board meetings. Sure, Jan. Especially when you consider that the CPD deals directly with candidates, this seems like a totally normal request to make. Regardless, the CPD maintains that their plans for 2024 will be based on “fairness, neutrality, and a firm commitment to helping the American public learn about the candidates and the issues.”

Unfortunately for Americans however, the RNC doesn’t seem to be backing down. Citing the timing of the debates themselves, they are pushing for the presidential debates to begin before early voting starts. While the Republicans have also complained about the choice of moderators, they fail to realize that they have traditionally held the advantage in this respect. At best, this is a thinly veiled attempt to further undermine the fairness of the electoral process. At worst, it begs the question – were Republicans even planning on debating in the first place?