In Trump country….
The media probably loved it….
But?
Fox viewers probably do NOT vote in Democratic primaries….
(How many where there actually?)*
In the days preceding the event, Sanders faced backlash from liberals who said he shouldn’t participate given the network’s nativist bent and cheerleading for President Donald Trump. But when it was over, Sanders had received an hour of positive exposure on the highest-rated cable channel — something none of his primary rivals have yet risked.
The town hall took place in a cultural center in the shadows of a former steel mill here, in a county in Pennsylvania that voted for Trump after twice supporting Barack Obama. But the room was packed with Sanders supporters, and the Vermont senator fed off the energy of the crowd.
Still, the image of an audience on Fox News rallying behind the democratic socialist and his left-wing platform gave Sanders the appearance of strong support in an area that was key to the president’s victory in 2016.
For the Sanders campaign, it was an ideal end to a four-day swing through the industrial Midwest that was meant to show that he’s the presidential candidate best positioned to beat Trump. Significant numbers of Democratic primary voters are more concerned with a candidate’s ability to win than his or her ideology, according to recent polls.
Some of the difficult questions asked by the hosts, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, were about Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan…..
The view from Fox News on the appearance….
Bernie Sanders took the stage at a fiery Fox News town hall in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on Monday, and sparks flew almost immediately, as Sanders defiantly refused to explain why he would not voluntarily pay the massive new 52-percent “wealth tax” that he advocated imposing on the nation’s richest individuals.
“We’ll get through this together,” Sanders said at one point, as tensions flared.
Sanders later admitted outright that “you’re going to pay more in taxes” if he became president. Just minutes before the town hall began, Sanders released ten years of his tax returns, which he acknowledged showed that he had been “fortunate” even as he pushed for a more progressive tax system….
…
The Tax Day town hall took place as Sanders emerged as the fundraising front-runner among Democrats, and sought to further distinguish himself from a crowded field of liberal candidates who have largely embraced his progressive proposals, from a sweeping ‘Medicare for All’ overhaul to a higher minimum wage and free public college education.
“I think Trump is a dangerous president, but if all we do is focus on him, we lose,” Sanders said at the town hall.
Separately, Sanders acknowledged that his proposed Medicare for All health care overhaul — which has also been embraced by other 2020 Democrat hopefuls, including Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren — would mean that many Americans would “pay more in taxes.”
Some estimates put the total costs for the plan over 10 years at more than $32 trillion, and say it would necessitate historic tax hikes…..
*Note….
Did you read the part about even though the sundown was a Fox News one?
The room was packed with Sanders supporters?.….
image…Vox.Com