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Liberal pundits are enraged with Bernie Sanders for his appearance on \u201cdestructive\u201d Fox News, and with other Democrats for following suit, all while forgetting Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton did the same to no ado.<\/p>\n
Fox News could never be mistaken for a liberal news channel. From President Trump\u2019s frequent phone-in exclusives on Fox & Friends to former host Bill O\u2019Reilly\u2019s invectives against Democrats, immigrants, and rock music<\/a>, the network makes its political leanings well known.<\/p>\n However, Fox is still a news network, and even in hyper-partisan, Trump-era America, news networks interview political candidates from both parties. Fox aired a town hall with Sanders on Monday night, an event that saw the Vermont Senator\u2019s ideas \u2013 chief among them universal health care and tax hikes on the wealthy \u2013 resonate with the studio audience and draw more than 2.5 million viewers at home.<\/p>\n Sanders\u2019 performance came as 2020 challenger Sen. Amy Klobuchar gears up to hold a town hall on the network next month. Pete Buttegeig is in talks to appear on Fox, along with lower-tier candidates Julian Castro, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and Rep. Tim Ryan, the Daily Beast reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite a strong showing, Sanders came under fire; not from Republicans, but from the liberal media. The progressive godfather\u2019s appearance put \u201can imprimatur of legitimacy on one of the most destructive forces in American politics,\u201d wrote CNN contributor Dan Pfeiffer, obviously missing the last two years of Russia hysteria propagated by his own network.<\/p>\n I understand the short-term incentives for Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg to appear on Fox News, but putting an imprimatur of legitimacy on one of the most destructive forces in American politics has long-term consequences. https:\/\/t.co\/I4IKTb3n8C<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) April 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFor the left to ignore the way in which Fox is directly responsible for the far right shift in US politics while treating it like a legitimate news network is a huge mistake\u201d<\/em> tweeted The Intercept\u2019s Mehdi Hasan.<\/p>\n I get it. Fox News has a big audience. And, yes, all of the problems in the US can\u2019t be blamed on Fox. But for the left to ignore the way in which Fox is directly responsible for the far right shift in US politics while treating it like a legitimate news network is a huge mistake<\/p>\n \u2014 Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Can we stop pretending that going on Fox is an act of courage? It was a political calculation for Sanders, which is fine. But the other candidates aren’t afraid that a couple of Fox chuckleheads will make them look bad. They don’t want to legitimize a Trump propaganda organ. https:\/\/t.co\/Orqmj9vwtw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) April 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Of course, Sanders\u2019 decision to reach across the aisle is a strategic one. Recorded in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania \u2013 famed for its languishing steel industry \u2013 the interview came at the end of a four-day tour of Midwestern states: States that voted Trump in 2016. If successful in next year\u2019s primaries, Sanders will offer blue-collar Pennsylvanians an alternate vision to the industrial revitalization promised and partially delivered by Trump.<\/p>\n Just checking: is Bernie Sanders a fascist or white nationalist for having done a Fox News town hall last night? I can never keep this straight<\/p>\n \u2014 Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 16, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Nor was Monday\u2019s interview the first time a Democrat has walked into the Fox studio. \u201cNot only did Obama give exclusive interviews to Bill O’Reilly when he was a presidential candidate, but also gave O’Reilly an exclusive Super Bowl interview in the White House, by far the single most \u2018legitimizing\u2019 act for Fox,\u201d<\/em> journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out.<\/p>\n Can someone please remind @danpfeiffer<\/a> that not only did Obama give exclusive interviews to ***Bill O’Reilly*** when he was a presidential candidate, but also gave O’Reilly an exclusive Super Bowl interview in the White House, by far the single most “legitimizing” act for Fox: https:\/\/t.co\/iP9LFNC6Fi<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 17, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Then-candidate Hillary Clinton also spoke to O\u2019Reilly during her 2008 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n Liberal pundits weren\u2019t the only viewers put out by Sanders\u2019 hour in the limelight. President Trump tweeted three separate digs at his potential 2020 rival in the hours after the town hall and complained that Fox, while aiming for a diverse audience, allegedly kept Trump supporters out of the studio. Similar complaints were made by Trump fans on Twitter and Reddit.<\/p>\n Many Trump Fans & Signs were outside of the @FoxNews<\/a> Studio last night in the now thriving (Thank you President Trump) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for the interview with Crazy Bernie Sanders. Big complaints about not being let in-stuffed with Bernie supporters. What\u2019s with @FoxNews<\/a>?<\/p>\n \u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 17, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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