The idea of a town hall meeting where citizens can spontaneously ask politicians the questions they would like answered doesn't match what the town hall is in today's politics. There's too much risk for politicians or the TV networks that platform the event.
A humorous example came on Oct. 21 at a so-called town hall with Vice President Kamala Harris and her ally, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.). An audience member asked ex-NBC reporter Maria Shriver if they could ask questions. "You're not. Unfortunately, we have some predetermined questions," Shriver said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head." Harris took only three of those predetermined questions in an hourlong event.
On May 10, 2023, CNN hosted a town hall event with former President Donald Trump. Incoming CNN host Kaitlan Collins constantly interrupted Trump, "correcting" him. The Left called it a "disaster" -- for CNN because they didn't want Trump appearing on CNN.
As often happens, Collins felt compelled to interrupt Trump incessantly on behalf of people who think Trump must be "fact-checked in real time." Collins badgered him for 25 minutes about 2020 election denials and Jan. 6, as expected. Trump lost; that's a fact. However, since the audience seemed supportive of Trump, it was somehow a triumph for him.
On Oct. 23, CNN aired a town hall event with Harris, and the difference was obvious from the first few minutes. Anderson Cooper asked his first question: You call Trump unhinged, but he's now more popular than ever. Harris bloviated a 500-word answer. Cooper asked Harris if she thought Trump was a fascist, and she said yes for 300 words without interruption.
Calling Trump a "fascist" was apparently not an occasion for "fact-checking in real time." Fact-checking, Daniel Dale skipped it afterward.
Cooper peppered Harris on a few subjects, including immigration. He noted she's changed her tune on the border wall. But none of the town hall questioners really pressed Harris from a conservative direction.
Cooper identified seven of the questioners as leaning toward backing Harris. One "leaner" came at Harris with a hardball from the left. Annalise Kean pounced: "My question is, as president, what would you do to ensure not another Palestinian dies due to bombs being funded by U.S. tax dollars?"
But several were very open-ended: What's your greatest weakness? What's the proudest moment of your political career? What's your first policy priority? The answers may have been evasive, but the questions weren't anything like the barrage Trump faced.
As soon as it ended, CNN's Dana Bash said she heard from people who felt Harris didn't offer real answers on her weaknesses or priorities. Still, hey, "any time that she can be in front of an audience and interacting with voters is a win as far as her campaign goes and they are very happy about that."
Collins really liked the sharpness of her answer asserting Trump's a fascist. She wants everyone to forget she ever worked for the Daily Caller.
Most of the post-game show was typical liberal analysis, with a blip of David Urban here and a moment of Scott Jennings there. Jennings had enough time to sum up the night. She was "empty, empty, empty. If she were an animal, she'd be a duck-billed platitude."
If Kamala Harris failed to "make the sale" on CNN, no one should blame CNN. They gave her a blandly promotional platform to smear her opponent as a fascist, then praised her afterward for her fervid fascist blather. Hating Trump defines CNN.
Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of NewsBusters.org.