Nevada Democratic Party Says No to FOX NEWS Debate

Since the announcement was made that FOX News Channel and FOX News Radio would be co-hosting a Democratic debate, the pressure has been coming hard from progressives who feel that the conservative news organization would not be a good choice for hosting a Democratic debate. The charge was led by the increasingly influential MoveOn.org. The organization submitted more than 265,000 signatures gathered in opposition to the planned debate. The petition calls FOX a "mouthpiece for the Republican Party, not a legitimate news channel."

On Wednesday, former Senator and current Democratic Presidential candidate John Edwards declined to be involved in the debate. His campaign did acknowledge that the involvement of FOX News was part of the decision. The campaign also cited scheduling conflicts.

FOX News Channel vice president of news commented on the pass by John Edwards in a statement calling it "unfortunate that Senator Edwards has decided to abandon an opportunity to reach the largest mainstream cable news audience in America." On Friday, the Nevada Democratic Party apparently sided with Mr. Edwards and the progressives calling for the Party to distance itself from FOX News.

Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid and other Democratic officials at first supported the partnership with FOX News for the debate. But on Wednesday after the Edwards announcement Democratic Party Chairman Tom Collins said Senator Reid "has asked us to take another look."

The move was quick to anger the FOX pundits, while further acknowledging the increasing power of MoveOn.org and other progressive organizations. Fresh off victories in November elections, progressives are hungry for the chance to advance their agendas across the board.