Election 2016

Center Stage

Written by SK Ashby

It hadn't occurred to me that poll numbers could dictate the position of candidates on the debate stage, but apparently that is part of the rules Fox News has developed for primary debates.

Unless things change dramatically in the next couple days, that means Donald Trump will take center stage.

On the crowded stage of 10 candidates, the candidate with the highest polling numbers—currently real estate mogul Donald Trump—will stand at the center of the stage, with lower-polling candidates fanned out in alternating order to the left and right.

The debate will include the top 10 Republican candidates in national polls, as determined by Fox News. Those who do not make the top ten prime-time debate are invited to take part in a 5 p.m. debate moderated by America's Newsroom co-anchors Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum.

Did the RNC anticipate that Trump could be the center of attention when they agreed to these rules?

Donald Trump may crash and burn at some point, but the legacy of his candidacy will endure. His bombast and rhetoric, from calling immigrant rapists to doxxing Lindsey Graham on national television, has dramatically lowered the bar for entry in the current cycle and future election cycles.

If Trump can be the frontunner while behaving as he does, anyone with enough money can.