By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Neil Cavuto, a former Atlantan who juggles three shows for Fox News and Fox Business Network, was able to squeeze in a few minutes with me last week to talk about tonight's Fox Business Network Republican debate in Milwaukee.
The interview was set at the unusually specific time of 2:09 p.m. That's how tight his schedule has been.
"I apologize," he said. "We aren't usually so anal." But he had to squeeze in debate prep on top of his usual duties.
He likens this period "to the time right before the final exam. You want to make sure you know everything you need to know and you have your questions right." He said based on the last time he did this, "I'll be tweaking minutes before going on stage."
Cavuto chose not to slag the CNBC moderators who were roundly criticized for their questions two weeks ago.
"I think there is always pressure to get things right," he said. That debate "kind of morphed into its own sort of soap opera. I think there were a lot of fine questions during that debate. It turned into something CNBC clearly didn't intend it to be. I subscribe to the rule that I'm not the story. The candidates are. The focus is on them. We want to encourage the debate, not dominate it."
UPDATE: November 11. It sounds like they largely succeeded on that front. Here's how the New York Times assessed Fox Business Network's performance.
To him, it's not necessarily the content of the questions, which could be tough and probing, but the way they are phrased. Plus, he said some candidates who are clearly in trouble may "lash out and be angry and temperamental. You've got to be aware of that potential toxicity as time goes on. Desperate candidates will do desperate things. By the same token, you don't want to give them ammunition. You have to make sure your questions are fair and you don't take potshots."
He said he and the staff have spent a long time refining questions. "We have to elicit answers that leave them with little wiggle room. Candidates will try to avoid or pivot from an issue. Instead of answering questions, they use it as a larger stage to frame why they're running for president. We've got to be aware of that."
Cavuto is an historian of debates. He said he has seen all the televised debates at some point, even the Nixon/Kennedy debate of 1960. He obviously watched that later because he was only two years old at the time. He said every debate brings its own set of variables based on where candidates are. Some candidates shine. Others slip or fade into the woodwork. So far, this cycle, interest has been sky high, fueled by Donald Trump.
As for himself, he just hopes he doesn't pick a stupid tie.
Otherwise, his goal: "keep it in English and keep it to business. Sometimes, we kind of resent the fact we're business journalists. We're nerds. I fully embrace being the nerd I am. To me, money issues translate pretty much all issues. They're not red or blue. They're green."
Compared to CNBC, he said he hopes to get down to more basic "business and economics stuff" such as candidates' viewpoint of this recovery. "What will they do to make it better?" he said. "What will they take away if they have to. I want to hold them to specifics. It's one thing to talk in aggregate. It's another to get into details."
Neil and I then talked about how important the economy can be in terms of chances of which party will win, mostly in the spring and summer of election year. And we're a year out. Things will likely change big time, especially on the Republican side.
He also has some simple debate advice, applicable to anybody running for office: "Keep it simple. Keep it clear. Don't pontificate. Get to the point. Zingers have a place. They do get remembered. But it has to be part of an approach that makes it memorable. Statements are not said in a vacuum. It has to reflect your style that evening."
I also threw in a non-debate question. Since he spent several years in his childhood in Atlanta, does he still have any loyalties to the Atlanta Braves? No. He's more a Yankees fan. "I do remember the Braves fondly," he said. But he, as many, is amazed Turner Field is going away next year in favor of another stadium in Cobb County after just two decades. "I couldn't believe that when I heard," he said. Baseball owners, he notes, "can really get their way."
TV PREVIEW
"Fox Business Network Republican Debate," 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, Fox Business Network
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