… The sponsors of the first two Republican debates, Fox News and CNN, understandably worry about a huge field of at least 14 candidates, and possibly 16, by this summer.
But both Fox and CNN are making it worse. They propose an A-team debate with 10 (CNN says maybe eight) candidates who score the highest in the average of the five most recent national polls. The remainder will form the B-team, who will debate separately. This ignores a history of candidates who barely register six months before the initial contests where they do well. And this sets false standards: A candidate with, say, a 4.4 percent standing in the latest surveys, is serious, while one with 4.2 percent belongs at the kiddie table. CONT.
Albert R. Hunt, Bloomberg View
Recent polls: Presidential race