Monday, May 20, 2019

To Be Or Not To Be On Fox News - That Is The Question

Monday, May 20th, 2019



My Dear America:

Maybe with everything else that is going on in America right now, whether  Democratic Candidates for President appear on Fox News or not might seem like a minor problem.  In contrast to Women's rights to choose what happens to their bodies when they get pregnant, yes, it is a minor problem.

I certainly agree with Candidate Elizabeth Warren's extremely negative assessment of Fox News and I think she has every right to turn down possible Town Halls and interviews on Fox News.  Fox News is nothing more than a megaphone for the disgusting, unending lies and distortions of the truth by Donald Trump.  That is true.  

I applaud Senator Warren's choice to refuse to appear on Fox News.  I don't blame her for her choice.

On the other hand, it cannot be dismissed that many members of Donald Trump's fan base watch Fox News exclusively.  What Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic Presidential Candidates need to think about is what happens when those exclusively Fox Watchers and Trump Voters don't get the Democratic Message because it never appears on Fox.

Bernie Sanders and Mayor Pete B. have already appeared at Town Halls on Fox News.  Both of these candidates had to come away from their respective Town Halls with good feelings about how the Town Halls went.  I saw Bernie's Town Hall and he clearly did a great job in his Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Town Hall. Although his Fox hosts, Bret Bair and Martha McCallum tried to put Bernie on the defensive, Bernie's overall acceptance by the Town Hall audience was very positive.  Although I have not actually seen Mayor Pete's Fox Town Hall what snippets I have seen show a skilled young politician doing well with a Fox selected crowd.

I think that each Democratic Candidate for President needs to make their own choice about whether or not they choose to appear on Fox, or not.              

They can, Like Senator Warren refuse to appear on Fox News because they consider it a scumbag network.  If they refuse, however, they may be making a serious mistake in that, like it or not, Fox viewers vote in strong numbers.

I think that any Candidate refusing to accept appearing on Fox News is hurting their candidacy by writing off Fox Viewers, which may, in the end prove to be the kind of viewers and voters who might be able to swing the 2020 Presidential race in favor of the Democrats.

Finally, and perhaps most important, is the fact that in both Bernie's and Mayor Pete's Town Halls one of the results of the Fox News appearances were Tweetstorms by Donald Trump showing that he watched the Town Halls and was angry that both Bernie and Mayor Pete had good showings on what Donald Trump considers his personal network.  

Regardless of what they decide about appearing on Fox News I think Democrats probably need to think about reaching as many voters as they can by TV or Personal appearances, Debates, Whatever.  

Donald Trump won in 2016 by saturating the airwaves with himself in any way possible. 

Democrats would do well to learn from Donald Trump's lesson on PR and use it to their advantage in 2019 and 2020 to win the White House.     


Sincerely Yours

Jerry Gallagher

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