Debate Devolved Into GOP vs. CNBC, and the Network Lost

[Commentary] CNBC managed to please almost no one, except maybe the candidates who scored easy points by pummeling the questioners. The forum was raucous but not revealing, combative but not authoritative, chaotic but not interesting. And it ended in the nigh-impossible spectacle of conservatives accusing the Wall Street-focused business network of swinging the ax for the liberal media.

Back in August, in the first Republican debate of the cycle, Fox News’s moderators asked tough questions -- much too tough, notably, for Donald Trump’s liking -- and held firm on the debate rules. CNBC seemed to be trying this approach, but without the quickness and discipline to pull it off. CNBC set an adversarial tone without establishing the authority to back it up. The candidates sensed an opening and took it. The debate rules, whatever they were, became like a suggested donation at a museum. The debate quickly became candidates vs. CNBC. The network lost in a rout.