Cable news outlets of the United States: Stop turning GOP presidential candidates into commentators on the rise of Donald Trump. Throughout the summer, as Trump began to surge in the polls, the 16 other candidates of the Republican field took to Fox News, MSNBC and CNN to espouse their views and opinions on the loud-mouthed presidential candidate. It was wrong.
Candidates that were finally getting the spotlight on them this summer, like Chris Christie or Ted Cruz, were being asked questions not on their policies or visions for this country, but on their opinions of Trump. They were turned into pundits, exposing their views on poll numbers and why the Republican party is supporting the Trump campaign.
Leading Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have come out saying their campaigns will be about ideas, not attacking the opponents. Yet, the Republican Party seems intent on attacking itself on a personal level, not on matters of campaign issues. It is not the type of behavior you would expect from a party trying to build its way back into the White House.
The last Republican debate, hosted by CNN, sought to pit candidates against each other, hoping to create moments in which they would attack each other. Republican candidates have been fueled by the media to tear each other apart. While some issues were mentioned, it seemed that many tuned in just to see the candidates bring each other down. Scott Walker, who announced this past Monday that he would be dropping out of the race, commented, “Sadly, the debate taking place in the Republican party today is not focused on [Ronald Reagan’s] optimistic view of America. Instead, it has drifted into personal attacks.”
The Republican Party desperately needs to rebuild itself. Like Governor Walker said, the GOP candidates are not looking to discuss the future of this country, but instead are seeking to push each other down. He pleaded that he wanted voters “to be for something and not against someone.” Republican candidates need to be talking about the future of the party, not the lunacy of each other. They need to present ideas that help this country, not attack different types of people. They need to talk about the issues that really make a difference in people’s lives.
Whether America agrees with their ideas is one thing, but regardless, Republicans need to start selling them. While the summer of Trump has pushed the Republican candidates to talk about each other, it must end soon. In the coming months, the candidates must start using their airtime to sell their unique positions. Republicans are not all the same – and it is time they start clarifying that or they will not take back the White House in 2016. Pundits argued that Trump would give Democrats a victory in 2016 if he kept talking. If GOP candidates don’t get their act together and start talking about real, important issues, that will really be the nail in the presidential coffin.