Bernie Sanders Pierces the Fox News Bubble

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

Three moments were especially striking. First, Sanders was touting Medicare for all when the Fox News moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum asked the audience members to raise a hand if they currently receive health insurance from an employer. Many hands went up. And by a show of hands, how many would be willing to switch to the health-care system that Sanders was proposing instead? Almost everyone appeared to raise a hand again—a result that seemed to surprise the moderators, who had already told viewers that the group in the auditorium was ideologically diverse.

(snip)

Third, on a night when the moderators repeatedly challenged Sanders on his statements, raising concerns, there was one big claim they did not even question. “Whether you’re a conservative, a moderate, or a progressive,” Sanders said, “I don’t think the American people are proud that we have a president who is a pathological liar. And it does not give me pleasure to say that.”

Under any previous president, moderators would have expressed shock at such a statement. But it is so obviously true that the sitting president is a pathological liar that even moderators on Fox let the characterization stand. “Trump cannot even tell the truth as to where his father was born,” Sanders said. “It’s really that crazy. His father was born in New York; he claims he was born in Germany. If you can’t even tell the truth about where your father was born, it’s hard to believe anything he says.

(snip)

Still, he stepped into one of the more significant filter bubbles that divide red from blue America. He was decent in his manner, pleading for comity, embracing universalist rather than identitarian language, decrying racial injustice and anti-Muslim demagoguery, and mincing no words in correctly labeling Trump a pathological liar. His strengths outshone his flaws in front of a TV audience that many Democrats have a hard time reaching, having written it off as deplorable, if not irredeemable. He showed other Democratic candidates the way forward and warmed up the Fox audience to left-wing ideas.

(snip)


https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/sanders-fox-news/587239/

[RobertDevereaux]

1. Thanks for sharing that, Uncle Joe.

[Champion Jack]

2. The "moderators" didn't know what to do

[TexasTowelie]

13. Mostly because the audience was packed with Sanders supporters.

It was not a typical Fox News audience.

www.pennlive.com/politics/2019/04/bernie-sanders-faces-lively-audience-in-bethlehem-town-hall.html

The article indicated that 70% or more of the audience was Sandes supporters.

[redstatebluegirl]

3. BS will not be the nominee.

We need a positive message, a policy wonk. Someone who can say we can make it through this. Not a grumpy old guy.

[NJCher]

5. funny, but

The kids in high school love the fact that he's a curmudgeon. College kids, too.

I'd also say that the Bernie message conveyed through the news article is hopeful and inspirational.

A lot of people feel burnt on "hope" and "change." They want something solid.

[floppyboo]

10. Was thinking about who the kid's mentors are today:

People like Noam Chomsky,for instance. From the 'young' set, Naomi Klein? Showing my own age, but where are the strong young progressive voices for the future? I love the new young progressive voices in the Democratic Party (the "like, 5 people&quot , and its seriously time to stop telling them they are too young and need to take a step back, while at the same time shouting that a new fresh young voice is needed. There is enough schizophrenia in the air as it is.

[hay rick]

4. The healthcare conundrum.

The hand-raising incident described mirrors a local experience that astonished me at the time. In 2016, the local Unitarian Church invited the county Republican and Democratic parties to discuss/debate issues. When the subject of healthcare came up, their speaker on the subject said he believed that we would ultimately have to transition to a single payer system...

[KitSileya]

6. I haven't had a chance to see it - and since it's on Fox I probably won't since I boycott them

But how did the audience react when Senator Sanders defended the Democratic party platform on abortion and VAWA? How about supporting DREAMers? I hope he managed to get them aboard supporting women's right to choose and their right to feel safe in their own homes as well as medicare for all. I feel that it is a much tougher task to get them to support policies that do not immediately benefit themselves, so if Senator Sanders managed to turn them around on those issues, he really accomplished a lot!

[yaesu]

8. I never watch fox but what I understand from reviews that fox had one gotcha question after another

which is the main reason the DNC decided not to have debates there. But, Bernie was unstoppable, told it like it is & even had the majority of the audience supporting single payer. The best thing about it is it pissed off tRump enough to go after fox for having Bernie on.

[KitSileya]

9. Yes, I understood from the headlines here that he got them to agree with Medicare for all.

Since that benefits the core audience immediately, I would be surprised if they didn't agree if they got this form of universal health care explained to them without distortion. I am hoping that Senator Sanders also managed to get them to agree with other key parts of the Democratic party platform, especially women's rights, since that's where we're heading into Gilead territory under Trump. Also with pushing back on Trump's attacks on immigration, since policies such as supporting DREAMers are integral to the party platform.

We know that the core misogyny and racism of Trump voters is why they voted for Trump (after all, study after study have shown that it had nothing to do with economic anxiety) so I was hoping that Senator Sanders managed to pierce the more important bubbles of said racism and misogyny. There's no reason to think that Trump voters are fundamentally against a better solution for health care when Trump ran on keeping pre-existing conditions and other vital parts of ACA intact. They are against the fundamental rights of women, however, and cheer at the horrific treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers to America. If Senator Sanders manage to win them over on these issues, it's a huge victory indeed.

[floppyboo]

11. One thing that really impressed itself on me was Bernie DEMOCRATIC message

He referred often to the Democratic Party's position, not his, and it was obvious his raison d'etre is not for himself, but for policy.

You don't have to watch it on FOX. Lots of progressive sites did play by play commentary. All up on youtube.

However, I have to say, if I could have watched it on FOX (no cable) I would have - just to help pump the ratings for a Democratic nominee on FOX. Now that would have Trump reaching for the ambien.

[FBaggins]

7. I wondered why he was going on Fox

This was actually a pretty creative idea. Let them take their shots and fire back while other Democrats are sniping at each other. Reasonable Democrats who might otherwise dismiss him for their preferred candidates will instead come to his support for comments like this.

[floppyboo]

12. haha! That works for me. Sanders: Creative thinking wins hearts and minds!

I don't think the others were univited. I think Pete is going to go spread the news on Fox. I'm sure more will follow. People do tend to follow Sanders.