Bill Maher dared Democrats on Friday to appear on Fox News, calling their reluctance a “fundamental problem” complicating the party’s effort to defeat President Trump in 2020.
The “Real Time with Bill Maher” host made the plea near the end his weekly HBO program Friday night on the heels of the Democratic National Committee recently refusing to participate in a presidential debate hosted by Fox News.
“Democrats made a terrible decision when they announced that they had turned down Fox News’ offer to host one of their 2020 primary debates, saying Fox was nothing more than propaganda,” said Mr. Maher. “Okay, so why not go on Fox News and tell them that?
“You want to 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 to not take any questions at all? How very Trump of you,” the comedian continued. “This is a fundamental problem with the Democratic Party. They look weak, running from a fight, when they should be in there throwing punches.”
Tom Perez, the chairman of the DNC, said last week that Fox News “is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates,” citing a recent New Yorker article that detailed the network’s especially cozy relationship with the Trump administration.
Reacting on “Real Time,” Mr. Maher argued that Democrats are being deprived of reaching millions of U.S. voters on account of the party’s reluctance to participate.
“You have to get inside the bubble,” insisted Mr. Maher. “You call yourself the Resistance? Then fight behind enemy lines. That’s what a resistance does. That’s the difference between blowing up a tank and tweeting about it. Get out of your echo chamber and infiltrate theirs.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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