I have been saying since the early Nineties that Republicans should refuse to participate in these farces, because that is all they are.
Farces.
But then, I said the same thing about the idiot Press Club event. I have watched a few of those and a good natured roasting can be taken in fun, but when you watch the difference in how Democrats are treated, versus the venom that Republicans are subjected to “in fun”, it isn’t something that should be encouraged by attending.
These debates are useless, Leftist, wastes of time.
Just my gut feeling but I think Trump allowed this debate farce to happen again on purpose. I suspect he told his people to go along with whatever the commission wanted. Gave them all the rope they would take knowing they would overreach. And he attended but refused to act the way they wanted him to.
He exposed their hypocrisies and now refuses to go along with the even more ludicrous idea of a debate they planned for #2. The left can say anything they want to about that but it’s all hot air. He blew their whole scheming operation up.
To bolster my speculation; he blew up the Press Club insult fest in much the same way. What they said to Sarah Huckabee-Sanders to her face was absolutely vile and everyone saw them for what they are.