The debate continues to rage over whether Democratic presidential candidates should play nice with Fox News. And Samantha Bee dove in head first Wednesday night.
The Full Frontal host began by noting that Mayor Pete Buttigieg decided to hold his Fox News town hall on the same night as the Game of Thrones finale. “Buttigieg seems like a smart candidate, but this was the worst-scheduled media event since Jay-Z decided September 11th, 2001 to release his iconic album… 9/11 Will Never Happen.”
After playing the clip of the Fox audience giving Buttigieg an unexpected standing ovation, Bee said, “What a touching reception for a candidate on a network that doesn’t believe his sexual orientation entitles him to eat cake.”
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“Fox town halls have become a dilemma for Democratic candidates,” Bee added. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was the first to say she had no interest in doing an event with the network, calling it a “hate-for-profit racket.” As Bee put it, Fox is the “first profitable racket Trump has ever been involved in.” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) quickly followed suit, prompting some pundits to suggest they are “scared” of taking their message to a potentially unfriendly audience.
“First of all, if you want to talk about being afraid of the opposition, the Republican president’s own press secretary has done fewer press briefings this month than Gene Simmons!” Bee exclaimed. “Oh my God, are we invading Iran with the KISS Army?”
To all Democrats struggling to figure out what to do in regards to Fox, Bee said, “This is obviously a complex issue” before stopping herself. “Oh wait, it’s not. You do not have to go on Fox News!” And while there are apparently some Democrats and Independents who watch the channel, Bee said she found that fact “shocking” because “the only time I watch Fox News is when I want to rage-horny before date night with my husband.”
From there, Bee went on to break down just how nasty most of Fox News’ coverage on the Democratic candidates can be, from calling Warren “Pocahontas” to mistakenly putting Harris’ photo up on the screen in place of a wanted murderer.
And now that Fox News has become “an extension” of the Trump administration “or vice-versa,” Bee said that “at a certain point, if you play along with Fox, you don’t look bold or bipartisan, you just look stupid,” adding, “Nobody is impressed by how Charlie Brown reaches across the aisle to Lucy’s football.”
Ultimately, Bee admitted that there may be a “strategic” reason for some candidates to go on Fox, but she wanted to remind them that it’s “not morally the right thing to do.”
“When you go on Fox News, no matter how lit your town hall game is that night,” she added, “you are legitimizing them.”
For more, listen to Samantha Bee on The Last Laugh podcast below.
