Christie, Ramaswamy Should Tell RNC to Pound Sand. But they won't.
If the candidates were as tough as they think they are, they would dare Ronna McDaniel to ban them from the next debate
Want to know what will not help any Republican get elected in 2024? This:
The Republican National Committee told former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy Monday night that if they went through with a separate joint appearance on Fox News they would be forbidden from participating in subsequent committee-sanctioned debates.
The warning, relayed to POLITICO by a person familiar with the conversations, had an effect. The candidates and network have decided to change up the format. Instead of appearing side-by-side, they will now sit for two separate, back-to-back segments. The RNC approved of the new format, according to another person familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it freely.
The RNC has explicitly forbidden candidates from participating in non-sanctioned debates, though it is not always entirely clear where the line is drawn. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is slated to debate California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Fox News, but it is believed that such a head-to-head doesn’t violate the committee’s rules as it is not explicitly a GOP primary forum.
Now as an ex-Republican, I have no skin in this game. And while I understand the desire for the RNC to not have a Wild West circus when it comes to debates, they realistically should have no control over where and how candidates campaign.
This attitude from the RNC that they and they alone should control who gets to participate in any sort of debate between Republican candidates. The RNC’s mission is ostensibly to elect the Republican nominee, not dictate how Republican voters can learn about Republican candidates. And while the RNC has allowed itself to become a tool of the new Trump Establishment, that’s not how things are supposed to work.
Besides, more voters would likely see Christie and Ramaswamy in a head-to-head segment on Fox News than would ever see them in the seven minutes they might get to speak in the next GOP Debate in November.
If Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy had any balls, they would have demanded that their segment go on as planned and dared the RNC to ban them.
If the Republican National Committee wants to actually get serious about winning elections again, they need to decide what actually helps elect Republican candidates in November. And threatening to ban candidates from getting exposure to their campaigns is a pretty stupid way to do that.