The American Mind

The Democratic Presidential candidates debating on Fox News would have been a good idea. Previously I wrote, “Winning elections is about getting your message to as many receptive people as possible. Not all watch CNN or MSNBC, two more sympathetic networks for liberals.”

MoveOn.org, who thinks they “own” the Democratic Party, and other hard core Democrats can’t see the tactical advantage of going on Fox News. First, they’d be in front of millions of potential voters. It’s similar to the notion that any publicity is good publicity. Second, should Fox News not be “fair and balanced” it will have happened with every major media outlet watching.

I laughed at the way the Nevada Democratic Party weaseled its way out of the debate:

The Nevada State Democratic Party is pulling out of a controversial presidential debate scheduled for Aug. 14 in Reno and co-hosted by Fox News, according to a letter released late Friday from state party chairman Tom Collins and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev).

The letter said Nevada Democrats had entered into the agreement with Fox, despite strong opposition from Democratic activist groups such as MoveOn.org, as a way of finding “new ways to talk to new people.”

But Collins and Reid wrote that comments on Thursday by FOX News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, when he jokingly compared Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, to Osama bin Laden, “went too far,” and prompted Nevada Democrats to end the partnership.

“We cannot, as good Democrats, put our party in a position to defend such comments,” the letter said. “In light of his comments, we have concluded that it is not possible to hold a presidential debate that will focus on our candidates and are therefore cancelling our August debate. We take no pleasure in this, but it is the only course of action.”

The debate is months away. With the fast news cycles no one would remember Ailes attempt at humor. The state party simply found a way to back out without looking completely like they caved–even though we all know they did.

“Nevada Dems Nix Fox Debate” [via Michelle Malkin]