Mike Huckabee: Debates Are Turning Into a 'Game Show'

Mike Huckabee said he felt it was "frustrating" to be on the CNBC presidential debate stage Wednesday night, as the moderators "just lost control of the debate and let the candidates take it over" and did not ask substantive questions.

"They had promised us they were going to stick to economic issues and substantive things," the former Arkansas governor told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program Thursday morning.

"They didn't. They also said that there were algorithms that they had figured out so there would be a time allocation that would be very equitably distributed among the candidates. That didn't happen. And they lost control of the debate."

Huckabee, who also appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program and CNN's "New Day," told MSNBC that he believes moderators should have questions that focus not only on what a candidate thinks about an issue, but should dig deeper.

"You're not electing a president because he can give out a nice answer and make a speech," he told the "Morning Joe" show. "You're electing a president because in the moment of crisis, when the unexpected happens, that person has the maturity, the seasoned judgment to make a tough decision and to be able to live with the consequences of it. I think sometimes we've turned this into a game show."

One of Huckabee's key moments Wednesday night was when he responded to a question about Donald Trump and turned it around to being more about himself, and he said Thursday morning that his intention isn't to just go after Trump.

"We're all running for quarterback of the team; we're all trying out," Huckabee said. "I think I'd be the best quarterback to take us not only into the game, but to win the game, because I know how to defeat this Clinton political machine we're going to be facing, and I've governed effectively and successfully."

But at the same time, he continued, he doesn't want to be the one who wins "because I broke the legs of all the other guys trying out for the job. These are my teammates. These are not my enemies."

And while Huckabee may disagree with the other GOP candidates, he doesn't disagree with them nearly as much as he does Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and her competitors, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

He said that it will be important to get into debates with Hillary Clinton to ask her tough questions, because she's not being held accountable on many issues.

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