On the day of the last debate before the Iowa caucuses, Karl Rove penned an op-ed decrying the role the debates have played thus far in the Republican primary:
Debates transfer power to the media, draining it from the campaigns. Moderators and their news organizations—through questions they frame or select—have more impact than candidates on what’s covered and discussed.
He went on to conclude that the debates have had a big impact on the race:
For good or ill, this year’s record-breaking mass of debates has made the contest the most unpredictable, rapidly shifting, and often downright inexplicable primary race I’ve ever witnessed. And voting hasn’t even begun.