Getty Cavuto warns GOP candidates not to look like 'whiners and babies'

One of the moderators of Tuesday night's Fox Business Network debate has a message for the Republicans about to hit the stage: this is a whine-free zone.

“I understand candidates getting annoyed, but they better be careful about looking like whiners and babies,” Neil Cavuto told The Washington Post when asked if he fits the bill, after some of the candidates requested conservative moderators following the perceived "gotcha" questions in last month's CNBC debate.


“I see this on the right and the left. I think you can ask very tough questions without coming off like an ass. I think it’s incumbent on us to know and appreciate the difference,” he continued.

But both Cavuto and co-moderator Maria Bartiromo acknowledged they were nervous (if ever-so-slightly) after watching the backlash previous moderators have gotten.

“It’s a little nerve-racking. I try to tackle it like a show or a big interview. I just try to button it down, get it right, make sure I do my research correctly, make sure our facts are right, our tone is right,” Cavuto said. “We want to make sure this debate is not so much about us but about the candidates. Invariably, someone will be unhappy.”

“I’m a little — I don’t know if it’s nerves or being anxious — but of course. All of a sudden, it’s become cool to beat up the moderator,” Bartiromo said.