Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign megathread

[Rookie Yinzer]

Why would any Democrat want to help legitimize FOX News?

Bernie Sanders only cares about Bernie Sanders.

DNC Chairman: Democrats don’t need to legitimize FOX News.

Bernie Sanders: Lets have a forum for FOX News to throw loaded questions at me about socialism and create sound bites for the general because if I speak to Trump voters without the “iDeNTiTy PoLiTiCs DeMoCrAtS” in the room they will completely change their ideology and vote for me.

[McGovernForPrez]

I really don't care that Bernie's doing this. Sure Fox News sucks and will likely attack him but I really do believe in the idea of competing anywhere and everywhere. That's why the DNC should've hosted a debate on Fox News so long as the moderator was one of their good ones like Chris Wallace.

[Heebie Jeebie]

Why would any Democrat want to help legitimize FOX News?

Bernie Sanders only cares about Bernie Sanders.

DNC Chairman: Democrats don’t need to legitimize FOX News.

Bernie Sanders: Lets have a forum for FOX News to throw loaded questions at me about socialism and create sound bites for the general because if I speak to Trump voters without the “iDeNTiTy PoLiTiCs DeMoCrAtS” in the room they will completely change their ideology and vote for me.

Yeah, just one more example of Bernie Sanders shetting on the party. Sadly, nothing new to see here.

[Zaybay]

*yawn* This has got to be one of the dumbest things people have gotten mad about ever since Sanders was lambasted for campaigning in CA while Beto was campaigning in NE.

[Xing]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

Fox News viewers are the antithesis of swing voters. I remember a presidential exit poll a few years ago showed that Fox News viewers were the most loyal Republican voting bloc, more than conservatives or registered Republicans.
But if Sanders thinks he can sway these voters by talking about Wall Street and big banks, bless his heart.

[Heebie Jeebie]

*yawn* This has got to be one of the dumbest things people have gotten mad about ever since Sanders was lambasted for campaigning in CA while Beto was campaigning in NE.

This is not a trivial issue.

A study by Emory University political scientist Gregory Martin and Stanford economist Ali Yurukoglu estimates that watching Fox News translates into a significantly greater willingness to vote for Republican candidates.  They find that if Fox News hadn’t existed, the Republican presidential candidate’s share of the two-party vote would have been 3.59 points lower in 2004 and 6.34 points lower in 2008. Without Fox, in other words, neither Bush nor Trump could have won and the 2008 election would have been an extinction-level landslide.

And yet here's Bernie, doing his best to boost FOX News' viewership and give them credibility and bipartisan cover.  He's a naive ass, and so is anyone who thinks this is a smart move.

[Xing]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

Fox News viewers are the antithesis of swing voters. I remember a presidential exit poll a few years ago showed that Fox News viewers were the most loyal Republican voting bloc, more than conservatives or registered Republicans.
But if Sanders thinks he can sway these voters by talking about Wall Street and big banks, bless his heart.

You're missing my point. I didn't say Fox viewers were swing voters. When "swing voters" see Democrats refusing to go on Fox, they they "wow, I guess Trump/the conservatives were right. Democrats are weak PC SJW triggered snowflakes that can't handle a difference of opinion. Trump is strong, I'll vote for him." Whereas if Sanders show up on Fox (this is not "promoting" the channel, and he's not the only Democrat to do so), they'll think "Bernie is authentic, and he'll talk to anyone. I'll vote for him!" Is that a rational or intelligent way to decide how to vote for someone? No, but that's how a lot of swing voters think, and the sooner Democrats realize this, the better.

[Zaybay]

*yawn* This has got to be one of the dumbest things people have gotten mad about ever since Sanders was lambasted for campaigning in CA while Beto was campaigning in NE.

This is not a trivial issue.

A study by Emory University political scientist Gregory Martin and Stanford economist Ali Yurukoglu estimates that watching Fox News translates into a significantly greater willingness to vote for Republican candidates.  They find that if Fox News hadn’t existed, the Republican presidential candidate’s share of the two-party vote would have been 3.59 points lower in 2004 and 6.34 points lower in 2008. Without Fox, in other words, neither Bush nor Trump could have won and the 2008 election would have been an extinction-level landslide.

And yet here's Bernie, doing his best to boost FOX News' viewership and give them credibility and bipartisan cover.  He's a naive ass, and so is anyone who thinks this is a smart move.

This is the definition of a trivial issue. You are upset that a Democratic Presidential candidate is going to give an interview on a Right Wing news channel. Its only 1 day, hes not endorsing Fox News, etc. In fact, your evidence suggests the reason he should do this, as breaking the echo chamber could do a lot towards helping to counteract that trend in Fox News Viewers.

[Heebie Jeebie]

*yawn* This has got to be one of the dumbest things people have gotten mad about ever since Sanders was lambasted for campaigning in CA while Beto was campaigning in NE.

This is not a trivial issue.

A study by Emory University political scientist Gregory Martin and Stanford economist Ali Yurukoglu estimates that watching Fox News translates into a significantly greater willingness to vote for Republican candidates.  They find that if Fox News hadn’t existed, the Republican presidential candidate’s share of the two-party vote would have been 3.59 points lower in 2004 and 6.34 points lower in 2008. Without Fox, in other words, neither Bush nor Trump could have won and the 2008 election would have been an extinction-level landslide.

And yet here's Bernie, doing his best to boost FOX News' viewership and give them credibility and bipartisan cover.  He's a naive ass, and so is anyone who thinks this is a smart move.

This is the definition of a trivial issue. You are upset that a Democratic Presidential candidate is going to give an interview on a Right Wing news channel. Its only 1 day, hes not endorsing Fox News, etc. In fact, your evidence suggests the reason he should do this, as breaking the echo chamber could do a lot towards helping to counteract that trend in Fox News Viewers.

Going on FOX News for a day is endorsing it.  To think otherwise is just being purposely obtuse.  Sanders is signaling to everyone that Fox is a network that can be turned to for news and useful content, that it serves the same function as any other cable news network.  But that's not true!  It's a right-wing propaganda outlet that misinforms and warps our politics in profoundly destructive ways, and it's in no way comparable to CNN or MSNBC or any other cable news outlet (those others are garbage too, btw, but for very different reasons).  But instead, what?  I'm supposed to think that Bernie Sanders will, with a single appearance, disrupt the echo chamber and counteract the deleterious effects of the rest of Fox's programming?  My God, what kind of messianic figure must people see him as to buy into that kind of delusion?

[Sestak]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

Fox News viewers are the antithesis of swing voters. I remember a presidential exit poll a few years ago showed that Fox News viewers were the most loyal Republican voting bloc, more than conservatives or registered Republicans.
But if Sanders thinks he can sway these voters by talking about Wall Street and big banks, bless his heart.

You're missing my point. I didn't say Fox viewers were swing voters. When "swing voters" see Democrats refusing to go on Fox, they they "wow, I guess Trump/the conservatives were right. Democrats are weak PC SJW triggered snowflakes that can't handle a difference of opinion. Trump is strong, I'll vote for him." Whereas if Sanders show up on Fox (this is not "promoting" the channel, and he's not the only Democrat to do so), they'll think "Bernie is authentic, and he'll talk to anyone. I'll vote for him!" Is that a rational or intelligent way to decide how to vote for someone? No, but that's how a lot of swing voters think, and the sooner Democrats realize this, the better.

^^^^^^^^^^^

[Landslide Lyndon]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

Fox News viewers are the antithesis of swing voters. I remember a presidential exit poll a few years ago showed that Fox News viewers were the most loyal Republican voting bloc, more than conservatives or registered Republicans.
But if Sanders thinks he can sway these voters by talking about Wall Street and big banks, bless his heart.

You're missing my point. I didn't say Fox viewers were swing voters. When "swing voters" see Democrats refusing to go on Fox, they they "wow, I guess Trump/the conservatives were right. Democrats are weak PC SJW triggered snowflakes that can't handle a difference of opinion. Trump is strong, I'll vote for him." Whereas if Sanders show up on Fox (this is not "promoting" the channel, and he's not the only Democrat to do so), they'll think "Bernie is authentic, and he'll talk to anyone. I'll vote for him!" Is that a rational or intelligent way to decide how to vote for someone? No, but that's how a lot of swing voters think, and the sooner Democrats realize this, the better.

How many times has Trump gone to MSNBC?
To CNN?
Nobody thinks the way you say. Everyone who isn't a die-hard Republican partisan knows for years now that Fox isn't a legitimate news channel but the propaganda arm of the Republican party.  

[Xing]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

Fox News viewers are the antithesis of swing voters. I remember a presidential exit poll a few years ago showed that Fox News viewers were the most loyal Republican voting bloc, more than conservatives or registered Republicans.
But if Sanders thinks he can sway these voters by talking about Wall Street and big banks, bless his heart.

You're missing my point. I didn't say Fox viewers were swing voters. When "swing voters" see Democrats refusing to go on Fox, they they "wow, I guess Trump/the conservatives were right. Democrats are weak PC SJW triggered snowflakes that can't handle a difference of opinion. Trump is strong, I'll vote for him." Whereas if Sanders show up on Fox (this is not "promoting" the channel, and he's not the only Democrat to do so), they'll think "Bernie is authentic, and he'll talk to anyone. I'll vote for him!" Is that a rational or intelligent way to decide how to vote for someone? No, but that's how a lot of swing voters think, and the sooner Democrats realize this, the better.

How many times has Trump gone to MSNBC?
To CNN?
Nobody thinks the way you say. Everyone who isn't a die-hard Republican partisan knows for years now that Fox isn't a legitimate news channel but the propaganda arm of the Republican party.  

Plenty of people think the way I say. There are virtually no mythical moderate swing voters who will vote for the candidate they think has the most detailed policies and agenda and is the most moderate. Swing voters vote based on emotion and how a candidate makes them feel. Even if some swing voters know what Fox is, they'll still think a Democrat is weak for not going on Fox. They don't hold Trump to the same standard.

[wildviper121]

Mayor Pete, Hillary Clinton, and Obama have all appeared on Fox / been interviewed by Fox news anchors
Come back with something actually controversial, thanks

[Zaybay]

*yawn* This has got to be one of the dumbest things people have gotten mad about ever since Sanders was lambasted for campaigning in CA while Beto was campaigning in NE.

This is not a trivial issue.

A study by Emory University political scientist Gregory Martin and Stanford economist Ali Yurukoglu estimates that watching Fox News translates into a significantly greater willingness to vote for Republican candidates.  They find that if Fox News hadn’t existed, the Republican presidential candidate’s share of the two-party vote would have been 3.59 points lower in 2004 and 6.34 points lower in 2008. Without Fox, in other words, neither Bush nor Trump could have won and the 2008 election would have been an extinction-level landslide.

And yet here's Bernie, doing his best to boost FOX News' viewership and give them credibility and bipartisan cover.  He's a naive ass, and so is anyone who thinks this is a smart move.

This is the definition of a trivial issue. You are upset that a Democratic Presidential candidate is going to give an interview on a Right Wing news channel. Its only 1 day, hes not endorsing Fox News, etc. In fact, your evidence suggests the reason he should do this, as breaking the echo chamber could do a lot towards helping to counteract that trend in Fox News Viewers.

Going on FOX News for a day is endorsing it.  To think otherwise is just being purposely obtuse.  Sanders is signaling to everyone that Fox is a network that can be turned to for news and useful content, that it serves the same function as any other cable news network.  But that's not true!  It's a right-wing propaganda outlet that misinforms and warps our politics in profoundly destructive ways, and it's in no way comparable to CNN or MSNBC or any other cable news outlet (those others are garbage too, btw, but for very different reasons).  But instead, what?  I'm supposed to think that Bernie Sanders will, with a single appearance, disrupt the echo chamber and counteract the deleterious effects of the rest of Fox's programming?  My God, what kind of messianic figure must people see him as to buy into that kind of delusion?

1. Going on for 1 day is not an endorsement. That would mean almost every D politician has endorsed Fox News.

2. He is not signalling anything, hes taking a 1 day interview. You are looking far too deep into a singular interview. Just as Trump's many interviews with CNN havent legitimized it to his base, the same holds true for Sanders' actions.

3. He is of course not going to disrupt the echo chamber, thats not what anyone is saying. What is being said is that doing an interview and being seen by the Fox News audience would be good for Sanders in helping to disrupt the chamber for a couple of viewers.

Seriously, this feels like a "Tan Suit" controversy.

[Sestak]

Or, maybe he understands better than the DNC how “swing voters” think, and that refusing to appear on Fox is a terrible look for Democrats, and doesn’t limit the power of Fox or dissuade viewers in any way. In fact, it could easily backfire. The DNC seems to have learned nothing from 2016, and seem like they would rather lose playing by the old rules than win by trying to modify their strategy.

Fox News viewers are the antithesis of swing voters. I remember a presidential exit poll a few years ago showed that Fox News viewers were the most loyal Republican voting bloc, more than conservatives or registered Republicans.
But if Sanders thinks he can sway these voters by talking about Wall Street and big banks, bless his heart.

You're missing my point. I didn't say Fox viewers were swing voters. When "swing voters" see Democrats refusing to go on Fox, they they "wow, I guess Trump/the conservatives were right. Democrats are weak PC SJW triggered snowflakes that can't handle a difference of opinion. Trump is strong, I'll vote for him." Whereas if Sanders show up on Fox (this is not "promoting" the channel, and he's not the only Democrat to do so), they'll think "Bernie is authentic, and he'll talk to anyone. I'll vote for him!" Is that a rational or intelligent way to decide how to vote for someone? No, but that's how a lot of swing voters think, and the sooner Democrats realize this, the better.

How many times has Trump gone to MSNBC?
To CNN?
Nobody thinks the way you say. Everyone who isn't a die-hard Republican partisan knows for years now that Fox isn't a legitimate news channel but the propaganda arm of the Republican party.  

Plenty of people think the way I say. There are virtually no mythical moderate swing voters who will vote for the candidate they think has the most detailed policies and agenda and is the most moderate. Swing voters vote based on emotion and how a candidate makes them feel. Even if some swing voters know what Fox is, they'll still think a Democrat is weak for not going on Fox. They don't hold Trump to the same standard.

Yeah, the double standard on this sh*t is sadly not limited to Republican partisans.

[Arturo Belano]

I genuinely don't understand what's the problem here. It's not as if Sanders is the first candidate in this field to go on Fox News this cycle. Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Gillibrand among others have already appeared. Whining that Fox News is illegitimate because of their sh**thead agenda doesn't change the fact that they are already are totally legitimate to over half of the country. Democrats should constantly be on the offensive anywhere and everywhere. I mean, at least get your viewpoints out there.

[henster]

I seriously think there's something shady with Bernie's tax. No reason to not just release them and keep doing this stalling with the media.

[GoTfan]

Oh for God's sake.  Suddenly going on Fox has made him an enemy of the Democratic Party? That seems to be the message I'm getting.

If Democrats restrict their messaging by excluding Fox News, they're no better than Trump is when he does media appearances.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Oh for God's sake.  Suddenly going on Fox has made him an enemy of the Democratic Party? That seems to be the message I'm getting.

If Democrats restrict their messaging by excluding Fox News, they're no better than Trump is when he does media appearances.

They know that their snowflake candidates would get destroyed on Fox.

[Big Abraham]

I genuinely don't understand what's the problem here. It's not as if Sanders is the first candidate in this field to go on Fox News this cycle. Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Gillibrand among others have already appeared. Whining that Fox News is illegitimate because of their sh**thead agenda doesn't change the fact that they are already are totally legitimate to over half of the country. Democrats should constantly be on the offensive anywhere and everywhere. I mean, at least get your viewpoints out there.

[GoTfan]

Oh for God's sake.  Suddenly going on Fox has made him an enemy of the Democratic Party? That seems to be the message I'm getting.

If Democrats restrict their messaging by excluding Fox News, they're no better than Trump is when he does media appearances.

They know that their snowflake candidates would get destroyed on Fox.

You're not helping.

[Adam Griffin]

How many times has Trump gone to MSNBC?
To CNN?
Nobody thinks the way you say.

[Adam Griffin]

Anyway, this is a pretty dumb argument. There are millions of people who aren't diehard Republicans who casually watch short bursts of Fox on a regular basis because they live in Red America. Pretty much every TV or radio station in a public space outside of core urban areas is tuned to Fox (or stations that broadcast their content) - anybody sitting in a doctor's office, auto shop, restaurant or comparable place in these areas is going to absorb at least a few minutes of their content every time they do so. We lose nothing by potentially reaching some of them - especially when Fox is going to lambaste the eventual nominee no matter what happens (getting your own message out there beforehand isn't stupid).

The target audience won't even necessarily be those who watch it live (i.e. the rabid, partisan and reliable primetime viewers), but those who'll see clips and the like being regurgitated in the days following.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I've thought about it, and Sanders having a town hall on Fox News doesn't bother me. However, I do think them hosting a Democratic debate is a much different story. I wouldn't put it past Fox News to lead the debate into being as dirty and petty as possible in an attempt to sow division and distract from the actual issues that the candidates want to talk about.