January 25th, 2012

McCain: Personal attacks at debates harm ability to prevail at general election

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) criticizes personal attacks at the GOP debates and gives advice to Mitt Romney for the Florida primary on Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien.

McCain says, “The purpose originally of debates were to give the candidates a chance to expose their agenda and view for the future of America, what they would do as president. Now they are deteriorating obviously into serious personal attacks. And what that does, it drives up the disapproval rating of the people who are in these debates, thereby harming their ability, whichever one wins, which I will believe will be Mitt Romney, and very damaging in the general election. If this thing drags out for months with these kinds of debates, it’s going to make it all the more difficult for that — for the nominee to prevail.”

Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien airs week mornings from 7-9a ET on CNN.