Bret Baier.Photo: FOX News
Baier, 51, tells PEOPLE that the event aims to “bring back collegiality” when it comes to political discussion.
The debates are part of theSenate Project, a collaborative effort of the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.
Baier says he’s “really excited” about his involvement in the first debate, which will take place at the Kennedy Institute’s full-size replica of the U.S. Senate Chamber in Boston.
Lindsey Graham, Bernie Sanders.Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty; Scott Olson/Getty
It would be tough to find two lawmakers as “diametrically opposed ideologically as Lindsey Graham and Bernie Sanders,” Baier says, though he hopes the debate will allow those watching at home to see their similarities, too.
“The style of this debate offers the potential to dive into topics a little bit more fully,” Baier says.
The result, Baier hopes, is that those watching the debate leave with a more nuanced view of where each lawmaker stands on the issues.
Because of the unique, Oxford-style nature of the debate, Baier admits the preparation is a little different than other such events he’s moderated in the past.
“As a moderator I am just trying to steer the discussion and keep it in the guardrails,” he says. “But I’ve had a lot of experience with both of these senators — I’ve had them both on my show a number of times, I’ve done three town halls with Sen. Sanders, worked with Sen. Graham in a few presidential debates. That experience, I take into account. I look through where they’ve been in the past and try to come up with a roadmap for the hour.”
Senator Orrin Hatch.Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
The event was modeled after the relationship between the late Hatch, a Republican from Utah, and Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat. Despite being political opposites, the two were “also best friends,” according to Hatch Foundation Board Chair Scott Anderson.
Hatch Foundation Executive Director Matt Sandgren echoed that sentiment, saying the debates aim to “reinvigorate the civic discourse” and “forge compromise and consensus while still respecting substantive disagreements that exist between the two parties.”
“Our hope is to show that bipartisanship and vigorous debate can coexist — and that civility is still possible, even in today’s hyper-polarized world,” Sandgren added in the release.
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“I think people who are interested in politics and interested in where the country’s going — this is the opportunity to listen to the arguments in both sides and more substantively,” Baier says.
He continues: “Some people might say that’s boring. It’s not — it’s better to hear the whole picture and be able to delve into some things. [Graham and Sanders] couldn’t be more differently ideologically, but I’m interested in showing the similarities.”
source: people.com
