Why Bret Baier Thinks There’s a “Hunger” For “Finding Common Ground” in New Debate Series

On Monday, the Fox Nation streaming service will host a televised debate between Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in a replica of the Senate Chamber hosted at the Kennedy Institute.

The debate isn’t about an election. Neither Graham nor Sanders are up this year. Rather, it’s about trying to bring sincere, old-school debates back into style at a time when social media and cable news chyrons are king. The Senate Project, as it’s being called, is a byproduct of the Institute, as well as the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Bipartisan Policy Center. Two other debates are already scheduled, with the next set to be hosted by C-SPAN.

Bret Baier, the anchor of Fox News’ Special Report, will moderate Monday’s event, and says that he thinks there is real consumer demand for such a project.

“There is a hunger in the country to have congress or Washington in general to work, to agree on things we agree on, and disagree on things we don’t,” Baier tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I wrote a book on Eisenhower, and that was his mantra: Get these things done first.”

If presidential debates are about flash, the Senate Project is about substance. Using an Oxford-style debate format, Graham and Sanders will have more time to express their points of view, and to explain their opposition to the other’s.

Baier says it could be a nice respite from the rest of the media landscape.

“Kids are growing up with flashes on TikTok. Social media is very quick, and to make a splash, blogs have to get clicks,” he says, tsk-tsking the “sensational” headlines often used to garner those views. “If you are going to make a sensational claim, you have to back it up on the substance.”

“It is about a little less fire and brimstone if you will, a little less soundbites and tweets,” he adds.

Instead, Baier hopes that viewers who choose to watch will come away more informed, helped along by the format, and his ability to moderate the conversation.

“These Senators are both known, and couldn’t be more ideologically different, but are both good at articulating their points of view,” he says. “So the challenge will be to get them to find some common ground, and I think they will.”

However, the debate will have some steep competition Monday, with the second public hearing of the Jan. 6 Committee investigating last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Baier said that just before speaking with THR, he was on a call with Rep Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who provided background on the proceedings. He also spoke with other members of the committee (Editor note: THR spoke to Baier before the primetime hearing last week).

“With the primetime scheduling, there is an onus to come forward with this storyline,” Baier says. “It is a significant news item, because it is an investigation that has been going on for some time, and there will be other committee hearings tied to it.”

“What comes out of it, and if the American public is moved by it, will be the real test,” Baier adds. “The issue is: Where does it go; what does it lead to? It has got to be compelling, to make this big a deal of it. It can’t fizzle.”