Politifact: Fact-checking the Bernie Sanders town hall on Fox News

[ehrnst]

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2019/apr/17/fact-checking-bernie-sanders-town-hall-fox-news/

Sen. Bernie Sanders’s town hall on Fox News was not a visit to the lion’s den. Judging from the cheers, the audience included plenty of voters open to his message of taxing the uber-rich to pay for more government to help the average Joe.

But hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier peppered the Democratic presidential candidate and self-declared democratic socialist with questions that would strike a chord with a conservative audience. Medicare for All might sound great, they asked in one key exchange, but who would foot the bill?

Sanders pushed back with many facts at his fingertips. We checked out some of his talking points for accuracy.

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2019/apr/17/fact-checking-bernie-sanders-town-hall-fox-news/

[zentrum]

1. Still Love Bernie.

And am glad he has so many endorsers including Harris and Warren and Booker for his Medicare for all. Also love his influence on the current Dem platform. Good work!

[mr_liberal]

2. Sanders converted a Fox audience. FALSE. They were mostly Bernie supporters. nt

[ehrnst]

3. " the audience included plenty of voters open to his message"

was correct. They just didn't posit that they were already very supportive of it before they came.

[appal_jack]

5. Nice Catch-22 you've got there.

Had Bernie stumbled, your response surely would be "See, his platform is worthless." But since he gained enormous traction and applause,you describe the audience as "mostly Bernie supporters."

Was this approach developed by Doc Daneeka's political consultant brother? General Scheisskopf would surely be proud.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22_(logic)

-app

[ehrnst]

6. That observation was made by a report who was there:

So, Mr Liberal isn't making a statement based on audience response, but actual reports about the audience. Your insult has no basis. An apology is in order.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-live-bernie-sanders-town-hall--20190415-zkz7s4t3x5dq7j2cbti6dznojq-story.html

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128772826

[appal_jack]

8. Like most tweets, that's a small part of the story

Of course, even one reporter's take on an event is not the whole story, but you could have at least gone to Michelle Merlin's actual article on the Fox News Town Hall before jumping to unwarranted conclusions:

https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-bernie-sanders-audience-20190416-ytliog2ztvdo3lgkumdhpbi4kq-story.html

Even the title counters your message, ehrnst: "Some were fans, some were foes, all had eyes and ears for Bernie Sanders at Fox News Town Hall." She finds similar numbers of supporters and opposition to interview:

Not everyone at the event was a Bernie supporter.

Janis Mikofsky, of Allentown, is a conservative and a Trump supporter. She wanted to see how Sanders would answer tough questions, and believes Trump would wipe the floor with Sanders in a debate.

“Socialists can’t come up with facts to back their theology,” she said. “It results in misery.”

Joe Basrawi, of Allentown, said before the town hall that he supports Donald Trump. He likes lower taxes, a strong military and strong national security.

The Kutztown University student had the night’s first question, asking Sanders, who made his tax returns public Monday, whether he’d pay his fair share of taxes and whether he plans to apply his policies to top earners.

Sanders didn’t win him over, Basrawi said.

“I think it’s important to hear out other people’s vision and know this guy is a serious presidential candidate,” he said.

No apology forthcoming.

-app

[ehrnst]

9. How does "not everyone in the audience was a Bernie supporter" negate

that "most of the audience at the town hall were Sanders supporters?"

No explanation forthcoming....

If the house wasn't full of Sanders supporters, it sure wasn't for lack of trying.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. Yep. The very first question came from a campus organizer from conservative Turning Point.

But we are supposed to believe some tweet from some random “Audience Truther” that there was only one Non Bernie supporter in the audience.

The conspiracy theories are amusing. Show me the long form audience list!!! We can ad this to show me the long form tax return!!!


Rest assured Top Men are looking in to these issues.

[ehrnst]

14. Conspiracy theories about fact checking....

Heaven forbid we fact check one of our own candidates,..

[BlueFlorida]

4. We already have a POTUS who trades in half-truths, innuendo

and outright falsehoods. Seems like a new trend in presidential politics.

[thesquanderer]

7. Seems like an old trend to me.

Iraq has WMD and/or is somehow tied to Al Qaeda.
I did not have sexusl relations with that woman.
We did not trade arms for hostages.
If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.

Of course, Trump is in a league of his own.

[BlueFlorida]

11. I was respodning to the OP. nt

[Cha]

12. How did I miss this? Thanks for

the reality check, ehrnst

[ehrnst]

13. We are the party of facts and reality. The party of science and questioning authority.

Some seem to forget that.

[Cha]

15. No kidding! Unreal how

they forget.. Well put!

[ehrnst]

16. Conspiracy theories on this very thread, too.

[Cha]

17. Oh yeah..

the spinning is bizarre.