"The debate without Trump was not only a relief for the candidates, but for the GOP as a whole."

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COMMENTS:
*  Will Mr. Trump debate again? Who cares? The RNC created this pickle by limiting the number of debates (after the mess in 2012 when everyone went after Gov. Romney). We don't need any more. They are not true debates -- there is no one issue proposed and no substantive discussion of how to deal with the issue. Topics are glossed over in a minute or two and not everyone speaks on every topic. It seems that everyone but the hosts and candidates knows that the debates are entertainment, not news. By pushing candidates on and off the main stage as well, the whole enterprise seems silly. If there are viewers who have watched every debate, they can recite whole sections of a candidate's answer by heart.
*  If Trump has any desire to become president he will never come close to a debate with either Bernie or Hillary. They would slice and dice him because they both know how our government works and how to formulate policies and steer them through the system. Both Hillary and Bernie know the constitution and the law. Trump would be lost and be exposed for the ill informed demogogue he is.
   *  That is exactly right. It is one thing to debate Republicans who do not have the nerve to take Trump on or who have similar positions that they usually use code words to express and quite another to debate an opponent only too happy to draw distinctions.
*  Who cares, anyway? The GOP debates (I use the term loosely) are nothing more than a 3 ring circus!
*  Please, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a joke. Think about the future of this country and its reputation. If you keep supporting this candidate, think about how this country would be. To be a world leader, we need respect from people too, not just power.
   *  I think you may be confused about your administrations and even more confused about what DT can do for us. What are his solutions to your perhaps? I haven't heard anything but air. Bring jobs back? Do you realize that his products are made overseas?  The only thing I've heard DT talk about is how wonderful he is.
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Will Trump ever debate again?
By Jennifer Rubin, January 31, 2016

Donald Trump did not appear at the Fox News debate Thursday. The world did not stop turning. The Republican Party did not collapse. Fox did not lose its shirt. In fact, Fox reported:

Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate on FOX News Channel scored 12.5 million viewers, making it the second-highest rated telecast in the network’s history.

The debate topped all television shows — including broadcast programs — on Thursday night in total viewers. It also pulled in 3.5 million viewers in the advertiser-friendly demo of adults aged 25-54, according to Early Nielsen Research.

The debate beat CNN and MSNBC combined in both total viewers and the 25-54 demo. Those networks aired segments of a Donald Trump rally, which was scheduled after the GOP contender withdrew from the Fox News debate.

The GOP field and conservative media showed they can get along fine without Trump, but can he get along without them?

For now, he is making clear his beef was with Fox News specifically. “I was treated very unfairly by Fox. . . . They weren’t treated badly. I mean, I was treated very, very badly by Fox. They issued a statement that was an inappropriate statement,” he said in a pre-taped interview for Face the Nation. “Now, what happened is, since then, they’ve been very nice. And they tried very much to get me to do the debate. By that time, the event, my counter-event had taken off.” If he is going to stay away from future debates, he will need a new excuse.

The issue will come up most immediately on Feb. 6, when ABC hosts a debate, the last one before the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9. Trump, I suspect, will slink back, recognizing that the pattern of Trump-free debates may remind Republicans how much saner, kinder and knowledgeable the party seems without him. Much will depend, I suppose, on the results of Monday’s Iowa caucuses. If he wins going away, he may never return to debate; but if he squeaks by or — oh my! — does not win, the impression will certainly be that leaving the debate in a huff was a mistake. A mistake. A sign of weakness. These are not associations Trump wants.

The bigger issue is whether the media can readjust the power equilibrium without Trump. That would mean treating Trump like anyone else. He would not be allowed to “phone in” interviews but would have to show up in person. He would be pressed on what his “awesome” health-care plan looked like, and be challenged on his ignorance. (Sorry, Russia is not fighting the Islamic State in Syria, Mr. Trump.) He also would be queried about his charitable giving and his donations to the Clinton Foundation. How much has a guy worth supposedly $10 billion given over, say, the last 10 years? Furthermore, news organizations can show some restraint, refusing to act as a substitute for his ad budget and providing more coverage of the other candidates. Their networks won’t shrivel up; Trump will still come back when asked.

The debate without Trump was not only a relief for the candidates, but for the GOP as a whole. If the media can now recapture their spine, and stop suffocating journalistic integrity for the sake of ratings, then we might have a race befitting the presidency.
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