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Yesterday, Fox News hosted a town hall in Bethlehem, PA, for Bernie Sanders.

Here's part one:

Sanders Fox Townhall

I have to say I was very impressed. I'm glad Fox invited him, and I'm glad he accepted. Sanders is a great communicator, and he definitely conveys a sincerity and bluntness that comes from decades of fighting for the same cause.

I thought the Fox hosts did fairly well, although at times they veered into "debate" territory and their talking points got a little repetitive. But they seemed to recognize when things were getting mired down and were willing to get back on track.

I was first impressed by Sanders four years ago when he attended a convocation and Q&A at the very conservative Liberty University. I think it sets him apart as a politician that he is able to speak to unsympathetic crowds and still effectively communicate with them (although some of the cheers from the crowd would indicate plenty of Sanders supporters had attended as well).

I don't know how many die-hard Fox News viewers would even give Sanders a fair shot, but I think if someone from that end of the political spectrum listened with an open mind, they would find a lot to respect, even if it didn't bring them to vote for him.

How is Fox News portraying Sanders in its coverage of the town hall?

I caught some of it...it seemed to be a Bernie crowd and it was a more than fair town hall.

One thing that stood out though for me...Bernie stated if the Democrat's make the campaign about Trump they will lose, and then talked for a half an hour about Trump this and Trump that.

He came across more like a politician to me than he did last time around, a little more polished at saying a lot, without saying a thing. I hope to see he a Biden debate.

I still like and admire Bernie, but I have to admit that I think we need something shiny and new this next election. Something with less baggage and more mass appeal.

Don't get me wrong; I like his voice added to the debate. I just think the Democrats could use some age contrast this next election, given our immediate needs (slowing climate change) and the fact that the young care more about the future than all these old farts (and frankly, it's the millennials who are going to fix it if anyone will. Certainly can't rely on my generation... bunch of milquetoast bastards).

I like Bernie too, but I worry about him being able to last through two terms as President at his age. If he wins in 2020, I hope he has a Vice President just as progressive and rational and eloquent as himself who can seamlessly and competently take over his agenda and run with it if needed.

Bernie also showed up at Liberty University four years ago. That's the school that is so Right Wing it gave Glenn Beck an honorary doctorate degree.

The best part of the Town Hall on FOX is that Brett Baier thought he'd make a statement rebuking Sanders by asking people in the audience to raise their hands if they were willing to switch to Medicare for All and the reaction wasn't what he expected.

https://Twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/11 ... 3746361345

Talk about your all time backfires. Of course, FOX will only take this as a wake up call in that they're not doing a good enough job of lying and deceiving their audience about how medicare for all is evil socialism. Turns out it has a lot of support.

Gunnar wrote:I like Bernie too, but I worry about him being able to last through two terms as President at his age. If he wins in 2020, I hope he has a Vice President just as progressive and rational and eloquent as himself who can seamlessly and competently take over his agenda and run with it if needed.

Agreed.

The other thing about Bernie is that he has a bad answer when asked about socialism. People in this country already have no idea what that word means without him being vague about himself. When people ask him about socialism, his answer should be something like, "Do you like our military? That's socialism. Do you like our police force? Socialism. Roads? Bridges? Public parks? Socialism. Social Security? Medicare? All the stuff it takes a country to pay for? That's socialism."

That's not what socialism means, but that's certainly what Bernie means by it, and he should make that clear.

Kevin Graham wrote:Bernie also showed up at Liberty University four years ago. That's the schTalk about your all time backfires. Of course, FOX will only take this as a wake up call in that they're not doing a good enough job of lying and deceiving their audience about how medicare for all is evil socialism. Turns out it has a lot of support.

Yeah, that was awesome (and goes to the point I was just making about socialism).

Perfume on my Mind wrote:The other thing about Bernie is that he has a bad answer when asked about socialism. People in this country already have no idea what that word means without him being vague about himself. When people ask him about socialism, his answer should be something like, "Do you like our military? That's socialism. Do you like our police force? Socialism. Roads? Bridges? Public parks? Socialism. Social Security? Medicare? All the stuff it takes a country to pay for? That's socialism."

That's not what socialism means, but that's certainly what Bernie means by it, and he should make that clear.

Yet another point on which we agree!

cinepro wrote:I don't know how many die-hard Fox News viewers would even give Sanders a fair shot, but I think if someone from that end of the political spectrum listened with an open mind, they would find a lot to respect, even if it didn't bring them to vote for him.

Additionally, Fox viewers can identify with someone having white or grey hair like themselves.

Wonder about a Fox town hall for Pete Buttigieg. Pete could remind them of their grandsons.