The 11th Commandment

One of the boat anchors on Republican Presidential chances in 2012 was the many heated debates between the numerous candidates in which they repeatedly scoured one another.  This was, of course, relished and abetted by the leftist national media … many of whom gleefully moderated these brawls.  By the time Mitt Romney emerged as the GOP’s candidate he had already been well tarnished by these debate fusillades and the numerous Democrat-sponsored ad smears.  These Democrat brickbats had largely gone unanswered since Romney’s media spending was limited during the primary season. 

It seams that this pattern is beginning to repeat itself for the 2016 election.  Rand Paul and Chris Christie already are going at it tooth and nail … see: Breitbart Story ... while Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democrat candidate, sails on upon unruffled seas.  If I find it difficult to imagine Chris Christie ever ripping into her the way he is savaging fellow Republicans, why should he have any standing as a potential Republican candidate?

But perhaps, just perhaps, the Republicans may be learning from their 2012 failures.  The Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman, Reince Preibus, has already indicated that CNN and NBC are unlikely to be hosting the 2016 Republican primary debates … see: The Hill Story.  Given Candy Crowley’s moderating performance in one Obama/Romney debate, I think that this decision is a slam-dunk … at least for CNN.  Of course, if the RNC uses only conservative-leaning moderators, it will probably lose coverage in the left-leaning media … BFD. 

The remaining fault-line for the Republicans is this continued internecine warfare.  Strong leadership from the RNC might also help solve this problem.  This group could easily decree that repeated sliming of fellow Republicans equals a disqualification for participation in future Republican Presidential debates … an enforcement of the “Eleventh Commandment.”  The Eleventh Commandment is usually attributed to Ronald Reagan.  It goes “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”  Yes, this would be a little dictatorial on the part of the RNC, but then, if Ms. Chipmunk Cheeks wins in 2016, we would be living in an audacious autocracy anyway.