Left-leaning pollster John Zogby and right-leaning historian Craig Shirley agree that the GOP presidential candidates made the right move in bypassing the Republican National Committee and
negotiating directly with networks who want to host debates.
"It's very Reagan-esque thing to do," Shirley, a Reagan biographer, said Monday on
Newsmax TV's "Newsmax Prime."
"Reagan was best when he took control of his own destiny. These candidates do not want to put their destiny in the hands of John Harwood or other lesser lights on cable television," Shirley said. "It's marvelous. I applaud them."
The RNC is good at raising money and at hiring high-priced consultants, but not at negotiating, he said. "Five-stars, two thumbs up for the Republican candidates for taking control of their own destiny."
Zogby agreed that the CNBC debate last week was "horrible."
"These guys and gals are not out there playing paintball; they're running for president of the United States," he said.
"I'm an historian, too. I taught it for 24 years. Can anybody name who the moderator was at the Lincoln-Douglas debates?" he said.
The moderators clearly were attempting "gotcha" journalism to raise their own ratings, Zogby said.
The two also talked about former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's latest attempt to reboot his flagging campaign with a new "Jeb Can Fix It" motto.
Zogby said that won't work, just like Al Gore's multiple attempts to reinvent himself in the 2000 election.
"Constant reinvention, the more reinvention you do, the more disingenuous and inauthentic you look like," Zogby said.
Shirley said Bush's name and connection to the establishment wing of the party means he has no chance in a year when GOP voters want outsider candidates like businessman Donald Trump or retired brain surgeon Ben Carson.
"It's moving toward populist outside reformer, and he is just caught in the wave of history that he has no chance of catching up to," Shirley said.
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