As Democrats gear up for what is sure to be one of the dumbest, most grueling primary seasons since, well, the last one, the DNC has just now come to the inescapable conclusion that Fox News is bad.
In a statement announcing the party’s decision not to partner with Fox for the upcoming Democratic presidential debates, DNC Chairman Tom Perez said:
I believe that a key pathway to victory is to continue to expand our electorate and reach all voters. That is why I have made it a priority to talk to a broad array of potential media partners, including Fox News. Recent reporting in the New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and Fox News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates. Therefore, Fox News will not serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates.
So Fox won’t get to host the debates. Great. But let’s take a closer look at what lead Perez to make the decision to shut the network out:
Recent reporting in the New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and Fox News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates.
Enhance:
Recent reporting in the New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and Fox News.
Enhance:
Recent reporting...
It’s only just now occurring to the Democrats that Fox News might not be the most trustworthy outlet to partner with for the 2020 election? Not the past two years of shameless conspiracy mongering, unhinged racism, and bootlicking authoritarianism on President Donald Trump’s behalf, which Fox has gleefully blasted out across the airwaves, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year? It took an article in The New Yorker to make the leaders of the DNC wake up and realize that perhaps they shouldn’t be dealing with a network that exists in a perpetual state of aggrieved bad faith?
Meanwhile, Fox News is taking the news with the sort of grace and poise you’d expect from the president’s favorite network. Fox VP and top notch media weasel Bill Sammon said in a statement:
We hope the DNC will reconsider its decision to bar Chris Wallace, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, all of whom embody the ultimate journalistic integrity and professionalism, from moderating a Democratic presidential debate. They’re the best debate team in the business and they offer candidates an important opportunity to make their case to the largest TV news audience in America, which includes many persuadable voters.
Given that those “many persuadable voters” have spent the past few years soaking in slickly produced lies about pretty much everything, it’s hard to see just what an evening with the dozen-plus Democratic candidates (and counting) would do to change their calcified minds. So, ultimately, the DNC’s decision is the right one, even if they’re ridiculously claiming to have only just discovered that Fox isn’t exactly a fair player.
Still, better late than never.