Carson suggests not running debates on TV: report

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has suggested stripping television networks of the right to carry upcoming GOP presidential debates. 

The retired neurosurgeon instead wants to see the primary debates streamed over the Internet — possibly on YouTube or Facebook — with more time spent on candidates’ statements and less on moderators’ questions, according to a Wall Street Journal report. 

{mosads}The Saturday report said Carson’s campaign manager, Barry Bennett, will present this proposal when representatives of several GOP presidential candidates hold a meeting Sunday evening.

He has already discussed the plan with the Republican National Committee (RNC) and other campaigns. No RNC officials plan to attend the Sunday meeting. 

The proposal calls for all major GOP candidates to have five minutes at minimum for opening and closing statements. 

“We think that the opening and closing statement issue is a good way to get around the inequities, real or perceived, by every candidate,” Carson spokesman Doug Watts told the Wall Street Journal. 

Carson’s campaign is also calling for the number of televised GOP debates to be reduced. The RNC has eight more debates scheduled. 

“[The debates] really do take a lot of time away from the campaign and they take a lot of financial resources for us to be able to work on them,” Watts said. 

The next scheduled GOP debate is Nov. 10 in Milwaukee. It will be broadcast on Fox Business Network.