This story in The Cult’s paper of record is a hilarious example of Stalin-esque pamphleteering.

The Republican National Committee moved Friday to seize control of the presidential primary debates in 2016, another step in a coordinated effort by the party establishment to reshape the nominating process.

Committee members overwhelmingly passed a measure that would penalize any presidential candidate who participated in a debate not sanctioned by the national party, by limiting their participation in subsequent committee-sanctioned forums.

The move represents the party’s effort to reduce the number of debates and assert control over how they are staged.

In making the case for adopting the new rule, party officials repeatedly criticized the moderators and format of the 2012 primary debates, appealing to the suspicions that many Republican activists have about the mainstream news media. “The liberal media doesn’t deserve to be in the driver’s seat,” said the committee’s chairman, Reince Priebus, addressing committee members here at their spring meeting.

Such rhetoric makes taking over the debates easier to sell to the committee’s more conservative members. But what party leaders are principally concerned about is reducing the number of debates to avoid a repeat of the 2012 campaign when a series of insurgent candidates used the forums — 20 in all — to draw attention to their candidacies. Some party leaders say they believe that the number of debates pushed Mitt Romney to the right in a way that contributed to his loss to President Obama.

Look at all the scary words. The Cult sees what is a minor change in the debate schedule as some dark, malign conspiracy to blot out all that is holy and good. What makes it even more hilarious is the GOP establishment is clearly taking the advice of The Cult and trying to shed their conservative supporters. Yet, The Cult still find it a foreboding sign of a new dark ages.

I like the last line about “Some party leaders” saying Romney was too far right. This is what is called in the business “an imaginary source.” They believe they exist, but like elves and wood nymphs, there’s no evidence. This is a part of the new mythology of The Cult. They keep making claims about how the GOP has gone way over on the right, when the opposite is obviously the case. The center of the Republican party is at least one giant step to the left of where it was two decades ago. Maybe two. I can name a dozen Democrats from the 1980’s who would be considered extreme right-wingers today.