Bill Maher To Dems Ducking Fox News Primary Debates: “Grow A Pair”
Bill Maher used his final “New Rules” segment on Real Time on Friday to continue hitting at a theme that he, a Democrat himself, has been hitting at for years: that Democrats should “grow a pair,” because they “look weak, running from a fight when they should be in there throwing punches.”
The comments came about in response to the Democratic National Committee saying last week it would not partner with Fox News for what will be a stacked-field Democratic debate during the 2020 presidential primaries. DNC chair Tom Perez said the decision was influenced by the recent New Yorker article highlighting President Donald Trump’s close relationship with the cable news giant, leading him to conclude the “network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates.”
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On Friday, Maher said that’s exactly the reason Democrats shouldn’t be backing away, calling it a “terrible decision” not to go on the nation’s most-watched cable news network.
“You wanna be in the big leagues, but you refuse to ever play an away game? You don’t like the questions that Fox News might ask, so you’re deciding not to take any questions at all? How very Trump of you,” he said.
Maher added: “Republicans never shy away from coming on this show, and they come with a smile on their face despite knowing that the only people in the crowd cheering them on are the three campaign aides they brought with them… The audience is against them and they don’t care — it’s an opportunity to expose people to your side of the story.”
Maher cited a poll that found 19% of all voters — Dems or GOP — said Fox News was their main source of campaign news, more than NBC, ABC and CBS combined.
“You have to get inside the bubble. You call yourself the resistance, then fight behind behind enemy lines,” he said. “… Get out of your echo chamber, and infiltrate theirs.”
Check out the video above.
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