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CBS Democratic debate draws lowest ratings
Politico ^ | 11/20/2015 | Hadas Gold

Posted on 11/21/2015 6:35:33 AM PST by SeekAndFind

The second Democratic debate hosted by CBS drew 8.5 million viewers, according to ratings from Nielsen.

It was the lowest rated primary debate this campaign season from either party, though it was the most watched show on Saturday night for broadcast television. The first Democratic debate, hosted by CNN, brought in a record-breaking 15.3 million viewers. The previous record for a Democratic debate was in 2008, which saw 10.7 million viewers for a debate on ABC.

CBS also garnered 1.2 million live streams of the debate across several platforms.

Broadcast networks have a far wider reach than cable, since anyone with a television can usually access broadcast networks for free. But the Saturday night schedule, fewer candidates, declining interest, and some competing sports game caused many to expect lower ratings.

Many in the Democratic party, from officials to some candidates themselves, have questioned the Democratic National Committee's decision to host just six debates and schedule half of them with broadcast networks on weekends (one of them taking place on the Saturday before Christmas). The DNC has been defending questions about the schedule for months, and the critiques will likely intensify as the ratings continue to decline.

Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democrat Network and a former ABC News producer and DNC official, has warned that by the end of the debates season, there will be a large gap between the number of potential voters Republicans reach versus Democrats. The first two Republican debates on Fox News and CNN drew in more than 23 million viewers each. The second two Republican debates, on much smaller cable networks CNBC and Fox Business, drew in more than 13 million viewers each.

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: debate; democrat; ratings
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"If averages hold, and given next two debates on weekends, six Dem debates will reach between 60-70 million viewers, or less than GOP has already reached in its first four debates. Gap will be between 130 to 140 million viewers -- a number equal to the total number of people who are likely to vote next year," Rosenberg wrote in an email.
1 posted on 11/21/2015 6:35:33 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Most of the viewers were probably informed conservatives. That’s the truly scary part.


2 posted on 11/21/2015 6:38:36 AM PST by freedomjusticeruleoflaw (Western Civilization- whisper the words, and it will disappear. So let us talk now about rebirth.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Hillary puts even Democrats to sleep.

There is no great enthusiasm about her or her campaign.

Trump on the other hand is dominating the polls, setting the agenda and drawing outsized crowds wherever he goes.

For Democrats, the enthusiasm gap doesn’t bode well for next year.


3 posted on 11/21/2015 6:38:45 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: All
For all those who missed it, I am posting some of Hillary's debate responses (/snix).

DEBATE QUESTION FOR HILLARY Mrs Clinton, if you were president how would you respond to the Paris bloodbath?

HILLARY: First, I would check the Clinton Foundation donor list to see if any of the Paris terrorists partnered w/ us in our global do-good projects.

If not, I would instruct the Clinton Foundation to draft a letter, asking them to join us in ridding the world of poverty, pestilence, and political instability by contributing several million dollars.

The Clinton Foundation is the only way to restore peace, prosperity and social order throughout the world.

But I would not stop there. I would direct Marie Harf, my Secretary of State, to run Help Wanted ads to offer well-paying jobs to all Syrian refugees who have ISIS credentials.

4 posted on 11/21/2015 6:39:52 AM PST by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: All
Screen shot


5 posted on 11/21/2015 6:41:08 AM PST by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: goldstategop

The idea is to keep Hillary off the radar, as much as possible and when she is on the radar it is in friendly venues. Unleash attack ads on the leading Republicans with help from their media friends to define them negatively through the convention. Unleash hell and sexism charges on anyone dare challenging Shillary. Count on the women vote and male “guilt” vote to put her in the White House.


6 posted on 11/21/2015 6:44:26 AM PST by georgiarat (Obama, providing incompetence since Day!)
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To: goldstategop

A year is an eternity in politics......................


7 posted on 11/21/2015 6:44:32 AM PST by Red Badger (READ MY LIPS: NO MORE BUSHES!...............)
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To: Liz

Where did this come from ?


8 posted on 11/21/2015 6:44:33 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
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To: freedomjusticeruleoflaw

RE: Most of the viewers were probably informed conservatives. That’s the truly scary part.

Hey, I’d like to consider myself an informed conservative but I did watch the second debate ( on and off ).

KNOW WHAT THE OPPOSITION IS THINKING... that’s my personal motto. I think that’s what most conservative who watched it think too.


9 posted on 11/21/2015 6:45:35 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

web site is mentioned.


10 posted on 11/21/2015 6:45:58 AM PST by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nothing can penetrate it.)
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To: SeekAndFind

This is on purpose. That is why they had the debate on Saturday night in football season. They wanted no one to watch but their base.

That way the can let the base pick their candidate while the general public is not watching. Then the candidate can “move to the center” that is hide their real views during the general election.

It is easier to fool the public, if they are not exposed to your actual views during the primary season. This is particularly true of H. Clinton who the public tires of quickly when they see her. Hence the timing of the Dim debate.


11 posted on 11/21/2015 6:46:54 AM PST by JLS
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To: Red Badger

True... which underscores the Democrats’ problem - they have no one apart from Clinton who is a serious candidate.

And if she is forced to pull out of the race, they’re screwed.

The Democrats are not exactly a model of political health.


12 posted on 11/21/2015 6:47:09 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: SeekAndFind

White liberal elite democrats are propped up by poor blacks. White liberal elites watched... that’s why the numbers were low.


13 posted on 11/21/2015 6:49:09 AM PST by GOPJ (Syrians escape to live well in US & EU..Our troops go to Syria to die in their place. It's nuts.)
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To: GOPJ

RE: White liberal elites watched...

8.5 million is a LOT of White liberals too many.


14 posted on 11/21/2015 6:50:46 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Leftist debates tend to sound like a kind of reverse auction where the auctioneers compete to see who can promise to give away the most for the least cost.


15 posted on 11/21/2015 6:53:17 AM PST by CrazyIvan (Hey Pope Francis- The Gospels are not Matthew, Marx, Luke and John.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Liberals don't pay attention to elections until 2 weeks before.

Then they turn on the boob tube and are then told who to vote for.

16 posted on 11/21/2015 6:55:41 AM PST by mountn man (The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
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To: SeekAndFind
Let me understand this, first the liberal socialist blame the “broadcast networks for the low viewer turn out! Next the liberal socialist blame the “terrorist attack in Paris” and finally, the liberal socialist blames CBS (communist broadcast system) for not marketing the debate!

Notice it is everybody’s fault except the fact that maybe no one is interested in watching the liberal socialist debate their communist doctrine!

Talk about being delusional!

17 posted on 11/21/2015 6:57:30 AM PST by paratrooper82 (82nd ABN DIV. 1/508th BN Alfa Team Leader 2nd civil war is coming to the USA)
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To: goldstategop

In light of the Paris attacks last Friday, I never even heard the D debates were going on the next day. Don’t think I even read one thread on here about it. Too bad I wanted to watch it for a laugh.


18 posted on 11/21/2015 6:58:45 AM PST by Blue Highway
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To: SeekAndFind

I tried to watch it. I couldn’t. I made about 45 minutes and couldn’t take any more. It was boring, stupid, ignorant, staged, tiresome, and smug.... all at the same time.


19 posted on 11/21/2015 7:00:23 AM PST by kjam22
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To: georgiarat
All the commentaries pre-debate said the debate was intentionally scheduled so that that it would expose the fewest number of voters to what a bunch of evil, corrupt, and moronic villains the Dems are.

Oh, and HRC is not the chosen candidate, but actually "vetted" by a democratic process...

20 posted on 11/21/2015 7:05:49 AM PST by Calvin Locke
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