Newly Released Democratic Debate Ratings Prove That Voters Want Substance

[riversedge]

Source: thinkprogress.org





Newly Released Democratic Debate Ratings Prove That Voters Want Substance

by Alice Ollstein Oct 14, 2015 1:17pm




CREDIT: AP Photo/John Locher


Despite assurances from the mainstream media that Tuesday’s Democratic debate would struggle to attract viewers — and suggestions its focus on policy would pale in comparison to the name-calling drama of Republican debates — the face-off drew the highest ratings in history for a Democratic debate.

Nielsen reported Wednesday afternoon that 15.3 million viewers — the sixth-biggest nonsports cable telecast in history. That also beats the next largest viewership in history for a Democratic debate — the historic January 2008 showdown between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — by nearly a million people.


In addition, nearly a million people simultaneously watched CNN’s livestream of the debate — in which the five candidates dug into their policy differences on marijuana, gun control, and workplace inequality, among other topics. In comparison, CNN’s Republican debate had 921,000 concurrent streams.................



Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/14/3712287/dem-debate-ratings/

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Good news.

[Aristus]

1. One imagines the media owners calling the repub candidates and

telling them to show some substance and increase our ratings, or you're outta there.

The puppets will do the puppet masters' bidding...

[totodeinhere]

3. I doubt it. The Republican debate got a lot more viewers than this first Democratic debate.

From the article:

The debate’s TV ratings, however, did not come close to the whopping 23 million people who tuned in for the melee between Donald Trump and 10 other Republicans in mid-September — a historical anomaly.

[padfun]

30. To be fair, a lot of those were people like me

who just wanted to see the circus.

All of the Republicans I asked at work say they didn't watch the Dem debate.

[maddiemom]

39. I think you're right.

[still_one]

51. I think the republicans believe they are talking substance

[annabanana]

53. lol.. I suspect you are right!

How would they know? Substance is so completely foreign to them..

[secondwind]

2. I was very impressed with all of the candidates, they spoke about all the important issues, unlike

the GOP clowns who only spoke about dismantling Social Security, etc.

[busterbrown]

4. Low info Republican voters couldn’t care less about facts and solutions...

They desire action, action to shut down govt. to put up fences, stop minorities and the poor from getting free stuff and most of all preventing govt. from messing with their guns..

Thank God their numbers are falling..

[yeoman6987]

7. Falling? I wish. They are thriving. They have most everything

And it is not gerrymandering to have 31 governorships and state houses. I wish their numbers were falling.

[busterbrown]

9. Old White people dying ... It’s happening..

[lbrtbell]

12. Your racism and total disrespect for your elders is duly noted.

So many of these older white people fought long and hard for civil rights and all the other Democratic principles we hold dear. People like my 80-year-old, lifelong Democratic mother has been working for liberal causes long before you were born. Many people of her generation were the first wave of Hollywood celebrities who had the courage to be open about their liberal beliefs in public, hoping to use their celebrity status to help initiate change.

Even if that weren't the case, wishing and/or celebrating the death of anyone, even Republicans, is the very antithesis of Democratic ideals. Maybe you should take some lessons in decency from the "old, white" people whom you wish were dead.

[yeoman6987]

16. +1,000,000

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. The rest make up Bill O'Reilly's audience....

[NonMetro]

32. Is there a category for most insensitive post of the day?

If so, you win!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

35. Another one? I need to buy another display case.

[maddiemom]

41. LOL!

[busterbrown]

26. Thanks for the heads up.. Didn’t realize that there were admirable old people..

FDR, Bernie Sanders, Molly Ivans..Good God..Good Luck..with your own interpretation of what I was trying to say.

[NonMetro]

31. ICAM!

[cprise]

37. There are radio jocks repeatedly saying Dems "should be killed"

And you don't have to pay a subscription to hear it comments much worse than the GP.

So I think you doth protest a bit too much, given the circumstances.

[maddiemom]

40. I don't think busterbrown was disrespecting or wishing for the death of "old white people."

I took him to mean that the Republican base of old white people (men especially) were dying out. Just poorly stated as an observation.

[LanternWaste]

49. Accuracy in regards to a particular demographic may often be confused with disrespect.

A general accuracy in regards to a particular demographic base may often be confused with disrespect.

[Judi Lynn]

52. I hope you're right & their numbers ARE falling. We've seen enough of their hatred, destruction. n/t

[mountain grammy]

5. I listened on Sirius

Does that count?

[pangaia]

15. Are you serious?

[mountain grammy]

21. Why yes, I am.

[maddiemom]

42. Shirley, you can't be Sirius.

[zentrum]

6. NPR had guests

……on Tuesday morning who discussed how the media, in advance of the debates told people the Democrats would deal with issues and therefore "be boring" to Americans. It's like telling people to stay stupid.

The MSM has become an absolute threat to the health of the country.

[Enthusiast]

17. You are absolutely correct!

"The MSM has become an absolute threat to the health of the country."

The MSM already aided liars in the Bush Administration to fake us into a war that cost the nation 6 trillion dollars and counting.

[mountain grammy]

23. +1000

[Android3.14]

8. This is why the early call for a Clinton debate win might be premature

People are looking for substantive change, and that is what attracted the attention to the debate. It certainly wasn't Hillary's magnetic personality.

I am so curious what the polls will reveal in the coming days. Go Bernie.

[Skittles]

45. the DEMOCRATS won

why can't that be enough?

[Android3.14]

47. Because Clinton is a DINO

And the corporatists are trying to put a fix in this process with the unwitting help of folks who are enamored with personality rather than pragmatic policy.

[Skittles]

50. I am sick of the fanboys

ENOUGH ALREADY

swooners SUCK no matter WHO they are swooning for

[BlueStater]

10. I admit I watched both Republican debates and didn't bother with the Democratic one.

I already know I'm not voting Republican and that I'm supporting Sanders over Clinton. My mind doesn't need to be swayed at all. I watched the Repuke debates because I wanted to see a freak show and that's exactly what I got.

[Journeyman]

11. I suspect that is a key reason for the larger viewership for the Republicans. . .

Democrats will watch the Republicans debate, to be amused and to learn how to counter their insane proposals, but Republicans won't bother with the Democratic debate. There are no shenanigans for the Republicans to make fun of, no insanely cruel comments to be flustered by, and certainly no sophomoric ideas put forth as intelligent thought. So there's nothing to appeal to the Republicans' sensibilities.

As you said, a very good portion of those who watched the Republicans did so to be amused by the freak show. The Democrats were equally entertaining, but on a different plane, one on which the typical Republican voter is lost.

[cprise]

38. That reminds me of the comfortable liberals I used to know

who kept on top of everything Limbaugh said (really, hung on every word) and watched Fox News. And they knew little else.

The problem is at that level of involvement, its about satisfying irrational emotional needs. Such people derive emotional sustenance from RW personalities and seem to identify with them on some deep level.


"So there's nothing to appeal to the Republicans' sensibilities."

Not so. Most low-income Republicans (and Independents, which are many) truly *hate* Wall St.

[Fred Sanders]

14. Freak show over substantial debate? Not me! And not for 15.3 million others treated to an event far

more entertaining and informing than a thousand freak shows.

You seen one freak show, you seen the all!!

There is tape....watch it and enjoy!

[Fred Sanders]

13. 15.3 million folks, shattering all previous D records, must have shocked the media and political

world who were convinced that having no carnival barkers would mean there would be ten million viewers, tops. How many will watch a serious issues debate, plus there is no carnival barkers so CNN was unable to promote the show as a demolition derby, as they did the car wreck of the GOP "debates".

Kind of vindicates DWS also, hence all the outcry from the usual quarters of DU....as well as the objective fact any debate judge would have given it to Clinton, in a split decision.

[Gore1FL]

18. It's way less than the GOP which had 24 and 23 million

The article compares the last nights Democratic debate to GOP numbers from the 2012 elections.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/07/media/gop-debate-fox-news-ratings/
http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/17/media/cnn-republican-debate-ratings/

The article compared 921,000 concurrent users to "nearly a million" (actually 980,000.) I'll grant that 59,000 concurrent viewers are more, but taking account of the 8-9 million TV gap, The headline doesn't match the numbers unless the article is calling the GOP debates "substance."

[TexasBushwhacker]

46. As long as there continues to be so many in the clown

car, there will be some people watching to learn more about the candidates, if for no other reason than to decide on their second choice. If Trump decides to drop out, who will his supporters turn to? Several of the GOP candidates are spending far more than they are taking in. At some point they will have to pull the plug. Trump and Carson take about 50% total, but that means half the GOP voters still support someone else.

[onenote]

20. I think that's far from the only conclusion one can draw

As others have noted, if voters wanted substance, then the repub debates would have had less not substantially more viewers than last night's debate. I suspect that a lot of people tuned in to both debates for substance and a lot tuned in out of curiosity. How many fell into either camp is anyone's guess. The fact is that I know a lot of Democrats who skipped watching last night's debate (and watched the Mets/Dodgers playoff game instead) but who watched the repubs debates (one or both).

The next repub debate is at the end of this month. The next Democratic debate is mid November. It will be interesting to see who is still in the race on each side and what the ratings are.

[former9thward]

22. This OP makes no sense.

The Republican debates had higher ratings. So how does lower ratings for the Democrats mean the voters want substance?

[Judi Lynn]

25. Many watched the first debates for laughs. Republicans probably avoided the Democratic debate,

afraid to see it proven just how much more intelligent, knowledgeable, focused, and civilized the Democratic candidates are.

They probably didn't want to be confronted by their own poverty of character, wisdom, maturity.

Not so hard to grasp.

Republican debates are comical.

Democratic debates are focused, and intelligent.

[IronLionZion]

24. This is why many people don't watch Dem debates:

[frylock]

27. I've been reading around here for months that people aren't going to watch debates..

just political junkies and such. hunh.

Nielsen reported Wednesday afternoon that 15.3 million viewers — the sixth-biggest nonsports cable telecast in history.

[pnwmom]

33. No, they just aren't going to watch twenty debates.

Six is about right, especially since it will probably be down to three participants very quickly.

[frylock]

34. Is somebody being forced to watch twenty debates?

And it's never been about the number, but the exclusivity clause.

[True Blue American]

44. Debate

I can live with 6 Debates, I still want DWS gone, like yesterday.

[rladdi]

28. The 2 GOP debates were just show business. The candidates never discussed any hard issues.

They just attack each other. Most of them have no knowledge of foreign policy, the economy, education, healthcare or other pressing issues. Nor do they really need to know, as they will shut them all down if elected.
It takes 17 GOP candidates to run for President? This shows the education, competent of those running. And those GOP candiates that are Governors, we already know how they would run this nation. They have destroyed the states they control. In voting rights, education, health care, gun rights, budgets. They have failed the people of their state.

AND THEY DON'T THINK WE ARE COMPETENT ENOUGH TO SEE THRU THEM AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. OF course the Republicans may not be educated enough, since they are puppets of the party.

[Bradical79]

29. Pleasantly surprising

Nice numbers. Obviously you can't beat Donald Trump when it comes to tv ratings, but I'm glad the Democratic primary debate did so well despite so little fanfare and downplaying the event by a lot of the media.

[Nitram]

36. It's good news that Democrats are engaged.

I hope this gets expressed in a large voter turnout.

[True Blue American]

43. Old People

I think you may be surprised as to how many older people know what FDR and LBJ did for them. Not all are ignorant poll parrots who sit around in their Lazy Boys and watch Faux News.

Many of us are active adults,who are at the Y every morning,free,thanks to Silver Sneakers,exercising. Then going out into the Community to help those who need help, working with other Seniors who are less fortunate, working at lunches for them, making life better.taking them on Day Trips.

We also speak with them about who is on their side,going into the lions Den of far right Churches,letting them know which party is on their side. Speaking calmly, not arguing,stating facts,asking them to just listen to what Bernie and Hillary are saying. It is amazing how shocked many are,seeing my I Love Obamacare and Thank FDR stickers,then listen to what I calmly say.

One thing I do is ask those who begin to go on is," Where does the Majority of your income come from?" insurance? Then,say no more.