Sen. Tim Kaine’s appearance on “Fox News Sunday” earlier today (see video and highlights, below) really illustrates why Democrats should shun this right-wing-propaganda network. Just a bunch of pro-Donald Trump/anti-Kamala Harris “framing”/”narrative,” relentless dishonesty, etc. from the most-definitely-NOT-journalists at Fox “News.” So in general, if asked to appear on their shows, Democrats should tell right-wing-propaganda media (TV, radio, whatever) to jump in a lake, shove it where the sun don’t shine, etc. Don’t legitimize them. Don’t play their game. Don’t fall into their trap.
Having said all that, obviously Sen. Tim Kaine – who is awesome, but who also clearly has a different media strategy than I’d prefer! – DID decide to appear on “Fox News Sunday” earlier today, as a surrogate for the Kamala Harris campaign (so most likely they asked him to do the interview?). The good news is that Sen. Kaine is great at this stuff, and also – even more importantly? – has the FACTS on his side, unlike the right-wing propagandist interviewing him.
In this case, Sen. Kaine pointed out to Fox “News” host Shannon Bream that:
- When it comes to fracking,”[Kamala Harris] has “been part of an Administration that has rocketed ahead with alternative energy investments because of the Inflation Reduction Act, but has also used the production of natural gas to backstop our allies who are trying to wean themselves away from relying on Russia…campaigning is one thing, governing is another, and what governing has shown with Vice President Harris is she’s going to try to bring the team together and make something happen.”
- On the border/immigration: “I’ve watched it in real time from Congress; the Biden Harris administration has removed more people from the United States – about 4.4 million – than any administration except the second George W. Bush administration, which came in at about 5 million. So the actual practice…has been create some positive paths where people can come in, but when they come in the wrong way they’re being removed. And that’s been going on for the last year and a half – you really see the numbers improving now. The right answer, of course, is for Congress to finally engage in immigration reform, and Kamala Harris was very involved in the negotiation of a very tough border security deal with Republicans in late 2023 and early 2024. Donald Trump told Republicans… vote against this; we don’t want to fix the problem, we want to complain about the problem…When you see those numbers on deportations and removals, those don’t lie; I wish Republicans would quit repeating over and over again that borders are open because when they do that they make the problem worse by encouraging…and every time Donald Trump says the borders are open that message goes loud and clear, cartels get people to pay him thousands of dollars to bring them to the United States because that message…I was a missionary in Honduras in 1980 and 1981, I think I know why people come here – they come here
because they they believe there’s opportunity in this country and they’re so tired of violence and corruption and lack of opportunity in their own. They come here for the same reason my eight great-grandparents came here from Ireland in the 1860s. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have rules and that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enforce them. I like what the Biden-Harris Administration has done with respect to not allowing people to cross the border between ports of entry and then claim refugee or asylum status if they are picked up – you you need to get an appointment, you need to go to a port of entry, you need to wait your turn, you may or may not be allowed in if you meet the standard or don’t. Putting that kind of order in place is important and that’s what the administration has done. But again, Congress really bears the lion’s share of responsibility, and it’s three times since I’ve been in the Senate we’ve done bipartisan border security deals and Republicans have killed it each of the three times…I remember that part of 2018 very well, because we did a bipartisan deal in the
Senate that gave Donald Trump every bit of his 25 billion and…also protected Dreamers, which he said he wanted to do. As soon as we put that bill on the table, he did a 180 and killed it…”
So again, Sen. Kaine gave it right back to the Fox “News” host – and definitely came out (by far) on top in the interview. But still, it seems like there’s got to be a better option for Democrats than to go on right-wing-propaganda media. If not, then we really need to work on creating a better media ecosystem…
WATCH: @timkaine discusses Vice President Harris’ changing positions on border and illegal immigration policies. pic.twitter.com/pTTOtQQ3uH
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) September 1, 2024
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