CNN's Democratic Debate Draws Record High Audience

New York Times/ The Caucus:

Political aficionados will remember Monday's Democratic presidential debate for the heated and personal exchanges between Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. Television executives will remember it as the most-watched presidential primary debate in cable news history.

CNN said the debate averaged 4.9 million viewers on Monday, easily exceeding all previous debates shown on cable. The debate attracted about two million viewers between the ages of 25 and 54.

Read the whole story: New York Times/ The Caucus

Comments

[Beatcomber]

The Obama campaign people don't know how to sling crap back. Hillary says Obama is supported by Antoin`Tony'' Rezko. You know some little crooked nobody. Like Hillary has no crooks supporting her. Anyway, does he ever mention that Darth Vader otherwise known as Rupert Mudock and other Fox News executives have donated over 100 grand to the Clinton campaign. Nope. Just google it and you find it on the CBS newspage. The Obama people are idiots. You fight slime with better slime. It's the way it works. Hell, Michelle Obama should follow Bill Clinton everywhere. Answering all his lies on the spot. It would make good press. Poor little Michelle being bullied by the ex president. These people are the same losers that ran the Kerry and Dukakis campaigns. We are getting Hillary regardless. The big money has decided that a long time ago. Another moderate Republican that uses abortion and gay rights to pretend she is a liberal. Wish the gays and abortion nuts would either get their own party or join the Republican party. Then maybe we could go back to a Democratic party that wins economic issues for working people.

Since I'm ranting, why is it that people don't get that immigration (legal or illegal) means lower wages for most people. Immigration has always depressed wages throughout American history. I like immigrants but that doens't mean I want some guy that is willing to travel 2000 miles to compete with me for my job. Funny how immigrant lawyers can't practice law in this country even if they are the worlds best lawyer in some other country. Wonder why? I guess that different huh. Too bad the rich don't get immigrant competition. These borders would slam shut two seconds later.

Mike

[wm1066]

So the fact that CNN was hyping thier disagreement into something more than it was had no effect on thier ratings?
CNN does this all the time.
Paula Zahn, when she was on, was making mountians out of mole hills with race all the time. She was manufacturing stories all the time. CNN is all about manipulation.

[willo]

That aint a debate. It's the corporate media's talking points being rammed down your throat.

[ohiomark]

Record audience? Did they get slightly more than family and friends to tune in?

More people heard the "highlights" the next day on talk radio.

[ljsfolly]

Why is Hillary leaving Bill in S Carolina while she goes west? Some say she has given it to obama as she has little chance there. Too many black folk. I think Penn the clintons Rove is pushing bill out of control and no one will know who is running when they all play the games. Bill says he likes to see hillary and obama fight and he set them up to do it. Who can shut him up? Hillary doesn't want to as it all their plan to win.

[Ifeomamn]

I am so sick of the clinton's and the democrats. They are so stupid that they cannot see that the clinton's are not good for the party..
Howard Dean needs to speak up and others party leaders. Enough of Bill Clinton....

[anghiari]

BILL'S OBAMA STRATEGY

It takes an attack dog to know an attack dog...Bill Clinton's ex-buddy Dick Morris' take on Bill's Obama Strategy below...point by point

"WHY is Bill Clinton courting such intense publicity, in evitably much of it negative?
Is he crazy? Crazy like a fox.


He has two goals and is achieving them both spectacularly.
First, he wants to be the same kind of lightning rod for Hillary that she was for him during his run for the presidency.

Now, she rarely gets hit anymore. They're hitting Bill instead.

The other method behind his madness is that Bill wants to suck up all the oxygen in the room and dominate the coverage of the Democratic contest. By doing so, he cuts Obama out of the news, pushes him off the front page, and usurps the headlines.

His tactics now are reminiscent of those he used to black out John Kerry during the lead-up to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.


Ultimately, the Clintons are playing a game of jujitsu with Obama, using his own strength against him.

By challenging Obama for the black vote - by promising to go door to door in South Carolina in minority neighborhoods, for example - Bill is highlighting the question: Will Obama carry the black vote? Of course, he will. He leads, 4 to 1, among African-Americans now.

But by making that the central question, Obama's South Carolina victory will be hailed as proof that he won the African-American vote. Such block voting will trigger the white backlash Sen. Clinton needs to win.

Once whites see blacks voting en masse for a black man, they will figure that it is a racial game and line up for Hillary. Already, she carries white voters by 2 to 1.