One of the effects of seemingly having anyone with a resume seek the Republican nomination for president is how to place them on a stage for a debate. I sincerely feel that if someone does offer themselves as a candidate and can be proven to have a certain poll rating based on the averages of a number of credible firms they should be able to debate with other such eligible contenders. For the record I was one of those who wanted John Anderson in the presidential debates in 1980 as a matter of fairness.
But even having presented my view of how one gets on the stage still means that for the ever-expanding number of Republican candidates it will take a very large stage and also a very long time period to allow everyone to have their say.
So what does the Republican Party do?
Do you leave some out, including current and former governors and senators? Or do you hold two different debates in one night — with nine candidates in one hour, and another nine the next? Those are all questions after an earlier suggestion that Republicans might cap the first debate to nine to 12 participants, which would mean that some prominent names might be excluded. National Journal reports that the Republican National Committee is walking back the talk about a cap. “RNC chief strategist Sean Spicer … told reporters: ‘There’s no cap.'” But if there’s no cap, that means that either 18 candidates share the same stage, or that you have to divide them up into different heats.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 