The New 2020 Hotness: Going on Fox News

We’re not even a day removed from Bernie Sanders’ Fox News town hall in Pennsylvania, and already, a litany of minor characters from the Democratic primary are reportedly tripping over themselves to do the exact same thing.

Sanders’ appearance, which was of questionable necessity in the first place but did make him look good, was a huge ratings hit for Fox News, blowing away the previous record in this cycle for a town hall. And now, perhaps unsurprisingly, a bunch of other guys are lining up to try to piggyback onto that success.

The Daily Beast reports that South Bend, IN, mayor Pete Buttigieg was “in talks” to participate in a similar town hall “and had been prior to the airing of Sanders’ event,” while a spokesperson for Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, the White Working Class Whisperer, told the outlet that his campaign has “reached out proactively to the network to express interest in this type of forum.

And then there’s this, from Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is my personal dark horse for the thirstiest-ass dude in this whole primary:

Meanwhile, the campaign for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the latest entry into the crowded Democratic contest, said “he’s willing to do a Fox town hall, and we expect to start discussions with the network soon regarding a time and place.” Discussions about doing so have not yet begun, according to the campaign but Swalwell had previously told The Daily Beast that he makes efforts to appear on the network.

Really, this is what’s going on?

I’m torn. On the one hand, I’m all out of faith that Tim Ryan and Eric Swalwell, two guys who are more likely to be mistaken for middle relievers on the New York Mets than presidential candidates, can recreate the kind of captivating television that was watching a bunch of Fox News viewers lose it for a self-described democratic socialist and his idea for government-run health insurance.

More likely, the reception for these candidates and their ideas for rebuilding the Rust Belt with tax credits for Grubhub would be cold. But with that said, and as much as it proves that the conversation truly has run dry, it would be extremely funny to watch Mayor Pete try to answer his first question about QAnon.

So, yes, I love this idea. More Dems doing Fox News town halls. Why the fuck not 2020. Nothing’s fine.