Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s latest remarks about town halls and Fox News may not age well.
The 2020 Democratic candidate is far behind her rivals Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden, but doesn’t see the value in having a Fox News Channel hosted a town hall, slamming the “hate-for-profit racket” in a series of tweets Tuesday.
“I love town halls. I’ve done more than 70 since January, and I’m glad to have a television audience be a part of them,” the Massachusetts Democrat tweeted, going on to explain why she is turning down an invitation from Fox News.
I love town halls. I’ve done more than 70 since January, and I’m glad to have a television audience be a part of them. Fox News has invited me to do a town hall, but I’m turning them down—here’s why…
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
“Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists,” she declared, claiming dramatically that “it’s designed to turn us against each other” while providing “cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government.”
Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists—it’s designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption that’s rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
She slammed the network for its claim to be a “reputable news outlet” in order to get “big ad money.”
Hate-for-profit works only if there’s profit, so Fox News balances a mix of bigotry, racism, and outright lies with enough legit journalism to make the claim to advertisers that it’s a reputable news outlet. It’s all about dragging in ad money—big ad money.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Warren’s rant went on to claim that advertisers are leaving the “hate-filled space” at Fox News.
But Fox News is struggling as more and more advertisers pull out of their hate-filled space. A Democratic town hall gives the Fox News sales team a way to tell potential sponsors it’s safe to buy ads on Fox—no harm to their brand or reputation (spoiler: It’s not).
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
The Democrat made her remarks despite Fox News regularly leaving its primetime competitors in the dust with ratings. Last month, the network’s regular lineup of programming pulled in a million more viewers than the five-hour Democrat lineup on CNN’s presidential candidate town hall special.
Warren’s own CNN town hall was up against regular Fox News programming, “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which pulled in 1.7 million more viewers.
Jedediah Bila, co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” slammed the Democrat’s “dumb move” in rejecting Fox News.
Dumb move to avoid challenging questions, which is why she wrote a hilarious Twitter novel to try to justify it. Your choice, Warren. Not a smart one, though. https://t.co/v2mJ8JkuGf
— Jedediah Bila (@JedediahBila) May 14, 2019
Plenty of leftists praised Warren’s action, but others saw right through it:
Fox News should release a statement saying “We will not be intimidated out of our journalistic mission with dangerous rhetoric by people in power like Ms. Warren & especially during a time when press freedoms are in danger. It’s a dangerous time to tell the truth in America.”
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) May 14, 2019
Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) responds to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) rejecting a Fox News town hall. https://t.co/u1nRxGqTPv
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) May 14, 2019
Oh, and it appears she’s been busy (already) fundraising off of the move:
Warren fundraising off of decision to reject Fox News town hall: “instead of helping Fox News turn a fatter profit, I’ll keep building the grassroots movement that we need to win in 2020 and make real change starting in 2021. If you’re with me, will you pitch in $3…?” pic.twitter.com/WukXUXq6QG
— MJ Lee (@mj_lee) May 14, 2019
Warren noted that she “won’t ask millions of Democratic primary voters to tune into an outlet that profits from racism and hate in order to see our candidates — especially when Fox will make even more money adding our valuable audience to their ratings numbers.”
Here’s one place we can fight back: I won’t ask millions of Democratic primary voters to tune into an outlet that profits from racism and hate in order to see our candidates—especially when Fox will make even more money adding our valuable audience to their ratings numbers.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Although the Democratic National Committee announced earlier this year that it was not allowing primary debates on Fox News, presidential candidates like Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg are planning town halls on the network. And a town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders last month, moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, pulled in about 2.5 million viewers, breaking a record for the largest presidential town hall this election cycle.
“CNN has drawn fewer viewers to its town-hall telecasts than to its usual prime-time lineup of news-discussion programs, which are themselves ratings-challenged,” a report in The Washington Post noted on Tuesday, adding that some have “ranged anywhere from subpar to flaming disasters.”
According to a Morning Consult poll earlier this month, Warren was at 8 percent and 31 points behind Biden as the front runner.
May 6-12 Democratic primary tracking data, among 15,342 registered voters:
Biden: 39% (-1)
Sanders: 19%
Warren: 8%
Harris: 8% (+1)
Buttigieg: 6%
O’Rourke: 5%
Booker: 3% https://t.co/19xcvbKDo2— Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) May 14, 2019
Warren inexplicably declared she wanted to reach “all Americans” while announcing she was shunning the conservatives, Republicans and even independent voters who regularly tune in to Fox News. It seems some of those Americans were not even impressed to ride the bus with her.
Elizabeth Warren rode the city bus and people didn’t even care!
She has no chance in 2020.Who’s laughing with me? ? pic.twitter.com/rG84MAs7fn
— Terrence K. Williams (@w_terrence) May 13, 2019
Her “hard pass” on the Fox News invitation just seemed like more political theater for the campaign trail.
I’ve done 57 media avails and 131 interviews, taking over 1,100 questions from press just since January. Fox News is welcome to come to my events just like any other outlet. But a Fox News town hall adds money to the hate-for-profit machine. To which I say: hard pass.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
[email protected]
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
- Minnesota Dems promote bills to ban gas-powered lawnmowers, chainsaws - February 18, 2023
- KJP shows off her contempt for Trump with unnecessary jab during comms director’s sendoff - February 11, 2023
- DOJ ramps up a ‘mere review’ to full-fledged investigation after latest Biden doc discovery - January 12, 2023
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
