Yes, it's still very early and I'm not ready to make a decision about which of the 20+ Democratic candidates I'll support for the presidential nominationāeven though I'd support a moldy sponge over Trump. However, you have to admit that Elizabeth Warren is coming on strong. Of all the candidates, she's presented the most detailed, thoughtful, and robust policies, seems to be gaining a foothold with Trump supporters, and is refusing to play Fox News' bullshit "town hall" game that serves no purpose other than to give shitbags like Hannity additional quotes to take out of context and subsequently lie about.
Check out this thread from Warren that explains why she's saying, "Oh HELL no" to Fox News:
I love town halls. Iāve done more than 70 since January, and Iām glad to have a television audience be a part of them. Fox News has invited me to do a town hall, but Iām turning them downāhereās why...
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Fox News is a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracistsāitās designed to turn us against each other, risking life and death consequences, to provide cover for the corruption thatās rotting our government and hollowing out our middle class.
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Hate-for-profit works only if thereās profit, so Fox News balances a mix of bigotry, racism, and outright lies with enough legit journalism to make the claim to advertisers that itās a reputable news outlet. Itās all about dragging in ad moneyābig ad money.
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
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 Foxāno harm to their brand or reputation (spoiler: Itās not).
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Hereās one place we can fight back: I wonāt ask millions of Democratic primary voters to tune into an outlet that profits from racism and hate in order to see our candidatesāespecially when Fox will make even more money adding our valuable audience to their ratings numbers.
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Iām running a campaign to reach all Americans. I take questions from the press and voters everywhere I go. Iāve already held town halls in 17 states and Puerto Ricoāincluding WV, OH, GA, UT, TN, TX, CO, MS & AL.
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
Iāve 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.
ā Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
WHAT SHE SAID. While I ordinarily think that candidates should face the pressāparticularly those media outlets that might challenge their point of view, we can all agree that Fox News is not your ordinary press. They are clearly a publicity machine for the far right... and worst of all, refuse to be transparent about their bias. And this is why Warren is particularly justified in shunning Fox News.
I'm proud to admit that the Mercury is a leftie rag that promotes progressive values, while also making every attempt to be fair and follow the facts wherever they may lead. If right-wingers can't hang with that, and refuse to answer our questions (which happens a lot), then at least no one is pretending.
Make no mistake: By saying no to Fox News, Warren is also passing up an opportunity to grab more clicks and soak up the spotlight that's primarily being given to her white male competitorsābut at least she's doing it for the right reasons.