Do The Dems Still Have a Chance: What the Cable News Ratings Indicate

I became and have remained interested in the cable news ratings because I think that they continue to indicate national political attitudes.
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I became and have remained interested in the cable news ratings because I think that they continue to indicate national political attitudes.

As I'm sure you have all read, the first quarter 2010 ratings are a major disaster for CNN, and an ordinary disaster for MSNBC and Headline News. CNN lost 39% of its viewers from the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010. Headline was down only 24%, and MSNBC only 15%. Meanwhile, Fox gained 3%.

The total day numbers were little better, with CNN down 31%, MSNBC down 16% and Headline News down 9%. Once again Fox grew, this time by 8%.

The best I can do about making a bright side of this for Democrats in the 2010 elections is that if we were to regard all Fox viewers as Republican voters, and all MSNBC, CNN and HLN viewers as Democratic voters, than at this moment the Republicans have a 53%-47% lead over Democrats nationally. This 53%-47% edge could be easily overcome by Election Day, if the Obama administration can demonstrate progress in Afghanistan, and deliver more jobs in the United States.

The cable viewing numbers have, over the past six years proved at least as reliable as the pollsters. They were almost exactly right in the last Presidential election. So, I would suggest that Democrats get their house in order, provide jobs and rebuild US infrastructure, and retake Kandahar Province. If the Obama administration can accomplish all that, the Democrats might hold on to their majorities in the House and Senate, and give President Obama two more years to attend to the business of the American people.

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