Ed Rendell, the former Democratic National Committee chairman, says it makes no sense for a party that lost Michigan in the 2016 presidential election to snub Fox News on primary debates.
“I think it was a mistake for the DNC to do what it did,” Mr. Rendell, who also served as Pennsylvania governor, said on “The Ingraham Angle” Thursday evening. “I know they were taken off a little bit by the New Yorker article, but as you said: If I was DNC chair, I would — and I think [DNC chair] Tom Perez is doing a good job — but if I was DNC chair, Laura, I would say give me Brett Bair, Chris Wallace, and Juan Williams and you can have that Fox debate anywhere, anytime, any number of times. I’d be confident that it’d be fair.”
Mr. Tom Perez used a piece in The New Yorker as a pretext for ruling out any Democratic primary debates on the network.
At issue is the allegation that Fox spiked a story on porn star Stormy Daniels — and her claims of an affair with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump — to protect his campaign.
Mr. Rendell was dumbstruck at the DNC’s logic on the issue.
“Even if we can persuade three percent of Fox viewers, three percent last time out carries Michigan,” Mr. Rendell said.
Mr. Trump defeated his Democratic opponent 47.6 percent to 47.3 percent.
“We hope the DNC will reconsider its decision to bar Chris Wallace, Bret Baier, and Martha MacCallum, all of whom embody the ultimate journalistic integrity and professionalism, from moderating a Democratic presidential debate,” Fox’s Senior Vice President Bill Sammon said in a statement. “They’re the best debate team in the business and they offer candidates an important opportunity to make their case to the largest TV news audience in America, which includes many persuadable voters.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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