The Great Debates: GOP candidates to go for jugular

Fox News’ GOP debate in August

Thought the Aug. 6 Fox News GOP debate was as feisty as any presidential event could ever get?

Think again.

CNN is aiming to kick the ferocity into full gear with two debates Wednesday evening that promise to the most combative events of the political season.

CNN chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper is moderating the prime-time GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. CNN’s Dana Bash and talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt will join Tapper in asking the questions.

“My goal is more about: Let’s draw the contrasts between the candidates, and have them fight it out over these policies, over who has the best approach to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, over who has the best approach to taxes, over who believes what over immigration reform,” Tapper told the New York Times Tuesday. “Have them lay it all out so voters can see it.”

Tapper said he hopes to trigger as many aggressive moments as possible – much like the August debate confrontation between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., over the National Security Agency’s warrantless collection of Americans’ data.

He called that heated exchange “electric” and “illuminating.”

The big event begins at 8 p.m. EST and features the 11 leading Republican candidates: Donald Trump. Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, John Kasich, Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina.

Bash echoed Tapper’s sentiments, telling the Times, “Our whole approach is sparking a debate. If someone says something that cries out for an obvious follow-up with someone who clearly disagrees or someone is dying to get in, let it happen. Let the debate be a debate.”

A campaign strategist who advises one of the candidates told the paper, “Jake Tapper is going to do whatever he can to get the candidates to go after each other. If somebody is knocked out, CNN will be happy. In the first debate, the moderators controlled the candidates; in this debate, the candidates will have to moderate themselves.”

Four lower-polling GOP candidates – Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania – will be featured in an earlier “under-card” debate at 4 p.m. Arizona time.

Both events will be featured live on CNN and live-streamed on the network’s website. Audience members will be asked not to cheer or boo during the debates.

Bash said CNN plans to put Trump “through the rigor.” But she added: “[I]t’s also about remembering that this is not a Donald Trump interview – this is a debate among 15 candidates over the course of many hours.

“It’s not all about making sure that you press Donald Trump on X, Y and Z,” she told the Times. “It’s maybe pressing him on X because another candidate thinks Y, and there’s a genuine disagreement.”

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