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In the competition to become the Democratic nominee for president in the 2020 elections, the biggest question that members of the party need to answer is who they believe can beat Donald Trump — assuming that he lasts in office long enough to run again.
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The debate over whether that calculation requires a moderate candidate who would be acceptable to independent voters and anti-Trump Republicans sick of the irreparable damage that the president has done to their party — or a candidate who can tap the energy of a coalition of progressive voters that would include the youth and minority voters who sat out the last presidential race — is a crucial battleground for determining the eventual nominee.
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As the debate plays out, one indication of which side of the question a particular candidate falls on is their decision on whether to appear on what many Democrats consider hostile enemy territory, the airwaves of President Trump’s virtual state broadcaster Fox News.
The decision to do so is not as clear cut and neat as categorizing candidates by their stance on universal healthcare or the Green New Deal.
While avowed moderate Democrats like Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg have already appeared or are planning to appear on Fox News after being invited to hold town halls on the cable network, so have more progressive-leaning candidates like Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand, citing their desire to see their messages reach all voters regardless of their political leanings.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) does not subscribe to that line of thinking.
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In a series of tweets today, the Senator — now ranked third in the polls of the Democratic field — explained why she has refused to accept Fox News‘ invitation to hold a town hall of her own on the network.
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
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
I’m running a campaign to reach all Americans. I take questions from the press and voters everywhere I go. I’ve already held town halls in 17 states and Puerto Rico—including WV, OH, GA, UT, TN, TX, CO, MS & AL.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 14, 2019
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Warren’s principled stance was praised by her supporters in the comments sections of her posts as being perfectly on-brand for the only progressive Democratic candidate who this early in the race has already developed a detailed set of policy proposals and planning documents outlining how she will bring her ideas to fruition.
Those who feel that the only path to victory against President Trump is to stay as close to the center as possible may argue that Senator Warren’s decision to refuse to contribute to the profits of what she sees as one of the most destructive media sources in America may hurt her and the party’s chances in the election.
Those who applaud her move, however, realize that authenticity and strong moral principles are the best weapons that Democrats have to fight against a president who contains not an iota of either of those qualities.
Senator Elizabeth Warren leads the pack among the Democratic nominees in those attributes, which is likely why her poll numbers have been rising steadily as she hits the campaign trail and brings her concern for the well being of average Americans over corporate interests to the Democratic electorate.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
