Kos used to be enamoured with Howard Dean’s fifty-state strategy. When Obama announced in 2011 that “I am proud to announce that our presidential campaign will be the first in a generation to deploy and maintain staff in every single state,” Kos wrote, in pertinent part:
That's incredible. It's revolutionary. … So what's that mean? It doesn't mean Obama will win 50 states, obviously. But it does mean a commitment to 1) an expanded presidential battleground, 2) long-term party building ...
Kos’ points in support of Dean’s fifty-state strategy also support our candidates appearing on Fox News. Why? Because it expands the presidential battleground to hostile territory, just as with the fifty-state strategy. Let me make this really simple:
If Democratic candidates do not appear on Fox News, then they are ceding the number 1 daytime network and number 2 prime time network to Trump.
Appearing on Fox would be a bad idea if our candidates suffered for it. But, they are not. We have now seen two Town Halls on Fox, and both worked out well for the candidates involved — Mayor Pete and Sanders. Indeed, Sanders used his turn on Fox to demonstrate that liberal/progressive ideas can resonate with Fox viewers.
Mayor Pete went one step further. He used his time on Fox to explain to Fox viewers that they are being lied to by certain of the Fox personalities. He’s getting rave reviews for his ability to handle the Fox newscasters and Trump even from conservatives as a result.
During his appearance, Mayor Pete explained why he went on Fox in the same terms that Kos used to us to support the fifty-state strategy, arguing that:
candidates must spend more time going into places where Democrats haven’t been seen much. We’ve got to find people where they are -- not change our values, but update our vocabulary so that we’re truly connecting with Americans from coast to coast.
He’s right. Mayor Pete and Bernie deserve support, not criticism, for what they’ve done. They’ve expanded the presidential battleground and it will have a positive effect in building our party.
That’s called taking the fight to the enemy. That’s what the fifty-state strategy was about. And that’s the kind of aggressive media strategy the Democrats need. Our most media savvy candidates get this. We should support them.