Why the GOP Should Insist on New Debate Rules for 2012

It was recently announced that Politico and NBC News would co-host the first 2012 debate at the Ronald Reagan Library.

I happen to like NBC News and Politico, but this announcement got me thinking about a topic that has bothered me for a while. The fact is, Republicans should have some say into who hosts their debates.

In the past, Republicans had little choice but to allow the mainstream media to set much of the ground rules for debates. After all, they controlled the means of production and dissemination. And while I do not ascribe to the notion that conservatives should avoid the media, I do think that it is time to reexamine the rules of the road, as they pertain to presidential debates.

I would propose Republican candidates unite to insist on the following:

1. Fox News should obviously host a debate. (I don't think this will be a problem).

2. Conservative new-media outlets should host at least one debate. Back in 2007, when I was at Townhall.com, we attempted to host a debate in Florida, which would have been broadcast on Townhall and simulcast on Salem Communications radio stations across the nation. Sadly, it fell through when one prominent GOP candidate would not agree to the terms. But that's not to say that the idea couldn't be revisited. After all, it is no longer only the mainstream TV networks that "own" broadcasting equipment. There's no reason why National Review, Heritage Foundation, and, say, RedState couldn't -- and shouldn't -- sponsor a primary debate.

3. Republicans should insist that debates hosted by other networks include at least one center-right journalist. There are plenty of qualified and prestigious conservatives who are capable of this, but let me propose a couple non-Fox affiliated conservatives such as Bill Bennett or George Will.

Here's why this is important: It is axiomatic in politics that the question is more important than the answer. Questions have a built-in skew. So if you had allowed me, for example, to moderate a debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, I could have guaranteed you that McCain would have won. How could I have done that? "First question: Give me an example of a time you demonstrated heroism."

The people asking questions are usually more powerful than the people answering them. And for too long, Republican primary debates have featured liberal moderators who ask questions based on liberal premises. I'm also sick of simplistic "wedge" tactics such as "Raise your hand if you don't believe in evolution." It is simply absurd for Republicans to subject themselves to taking questions from moderators who are all liberal.

Of course, ultimately it is the GOP candidates who have the power to make this happen. They can continue to allow the mainstream media to mandate the terms, or they can work together to insist on something new.