GOP Candidates Target RNC after Debate Debacle

With just nine days before the next Republican presidential debate, representatives of nearly all the candidates met Sunday evening to change the way future debates play out, especially when the moderator appears hostile toward the GOP, such as what took place in last week's CNBC debate in Boulder, Colorado.

"This is not a cage match," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at last week's debate. "And if you look at the questions: 'Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain?  Ben Carson, can you do math?  John Kasich, will you insult two people over here?  Marco Rubio, why don't you resign?  Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?' How about talking about the substantive issues."

Some of the more pressing criticism, however, was directed at the Republican National Committee.

Could this hurt Republican chances at the White House in 2016? We asked CBN News Chief Political Correpsondent David Brody how he thinks this could affect the candidates and the party, click play to watch.

At Sunday night's meeting, representatives talked about how to take more control of debate formats.

"Debates are supposed to be established to help the people get to know the candidates," presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson, who organized Sunday's meeting, said. "What it's turned into is a 'gotcha.'"

"How about we stop letting left-wing liberals moderate Republican debates," Sen. Cruz suggested.

Another major change candidates discussed is allowing the RNC to handle only logistical matters when it comes to organizing the debates, many saying the committee failed to represent them effectively.
 
"We're going to insist on opening and closing statements," Carson campaign manager Barry Bennett said. "We're going to negotiate directly with the sponsors about format."

Following last week's debate, the RNC moved into damage control mode. On Saturday, it ordered a high-level shakeup of the debate negotiating team.

It seems Sunday's meeting is just the beginning of what could be major changes to the remaining presidential debates, with campaign staffers saying there will be more meetings like this one.