A Republican primary debate like no other, moderated by real estate mogul and TV personality Donald Trump, is getting lots of attention, but not many participants.
In partnership with ION Television and conservative media outlet Newsmax, Trump is scheduled to moderate the debate on Dec. 27 in Iowa, just a few days before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3.
So far only two Republican candidates have confirmed attendance, three have declined, and two others are undecided.
Just this year, Trump toyed with a run in the Republican primaries and put so much pressure on President Obama that Obama finally released his birth certificate. Now, since Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate yet, the upcoming debate could be seen as a contest among Republican candidates for his coveted endorsement.
“Almost every major candidate has come to my office, met privately with me, and has sought my endorsement,” said Trump, in a public statement. “I have told them what I have said publicly: I will support the Republican candidate best able to defeat Barack Obama and the one who shares the values of most Americans—a strong belief in the free enterprise system and an unwavering commitment to a strong America.”
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who is leading in the polls, has said he will attend, as has former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann are undecided, and Congressman Ron Paul and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman have both given emphatic nos. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, who has long been considered the Republican frontrunner, politely declined on Tuesday, saying he already has two debates scheduled in Iowa this month.
Influential conservatives have come have come out in support of the debate, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Grover Norquist, chair of Americans for Tax Reform.
In addition to supporting the traditional Republican platform of limited government and lower taxes, Trump has made getting tough on trade with China and on OPEC nations, who control most of the world’s oil supplies, a center piece of his views.
“We don’t have free trade, we don’t have fair trade, and I’m a fair trade believer. I love open markets, but not when China is manipulating their currency,” said Trump, at the Conservative Public Action Conference in February. He referred to China’s practice of keeping its currency artificially low and then flooding the U.S. market with low-priced goods.
‘Logical extension’
At least in theory, debate moderators are supposed to be impartial, a trait that would be overtly abandoned in this case.
Political debate expert Allen Louden said that is the way debates are headed. “It’s sort of the logical extension of the circus or the craziness of the primary debates cycle,” said Louden, a political science professor at Wake Forest University.
He cites last month’s debate on CNN as already departing from a regular debate feel.
“The CNN debate is the first one that had all the trappings of a reality show and a quiz show and it took Wolf Blitzer well over ten minutes just to do the introductions,” said Louden. “They touted all candidates as if they were on there for The Price is Right or something. It just was kind of jaw-dropping.”
Sen. Santorum has also said that the debate moderators have their own agenda anyway.
“You go down the list of all the people they’ve had, these reporters who have tried to make this debate about them and not about the candidates and what they believe in, and rearranging time to make sure the people that they wanted to have time, get time,” said Santorum, speaking to KLIF radio in Dallas on Tuesday. “I can’t see, in some cases, where Donald Trump would be any worse than what we get from the mainstream media.”
However, Louden predicts that with Romney declining to participate, the debate may ultimately fall apart.
“The chances are, if enough of them turn it down, the rest will also withdraw and this thing will collapse,” said Louden.
