First let me say we're not all in agreement here at News Hounds on whether or not Democrats should go on FOX News. But a recent poll from FOX fave Rasmussen reveals that only a small percentage (9) of FOX viewers say they would vote for Barack Obama while 87% plan to vote for McCain. So who exactly are Democrats on FOX reaching out to?
A Rasmussen report titled "News You Watch Says a Lot About How You’ll Vote" says "Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Fox News viewers say they are likely to vote for John McCain, while those who watch CNN and MSNBC plan to support Barack Obama in November by more than two to one.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of CNN voters plan to vote for the Democratic candidate versus 26% who intend to go for the Republican. Similarly, MSNBC watchers plan to vote for Obama over McCain 63% to 30%.
Only nine percent of those who watch Fox News say they will vote for Obama."
Interesting that the Rasmussen spin is that the "liberal media" viewers are breaking for Obama by "more than two to one," while failing to note that the conservative-media consumers are breaking for McCain over Obama by almost TEN to one.
Chris Bowers at Open Left makes the interesting observation "It is true that CNN and MSNBC viewers favor Obama by significant margins, but still nowhere near the 78% margins by which Fox viewers favor McCain. In fact, it is quite plausible that CNN and MSNBC are offering very "balanced" coverage, but because so many conservatives have turned to Fox, their viewer ship is slanted. Conservatives didn't like the balance, so they went to Fox." (my emphasis)
[snip]
"The problem comes in when Fox viewers turn out to be highly uninformed about basic facts in the current political environment. The Pew Center found Fox viewers to be the second lowest informed audiences of all news outlets, ahead only of network morning shows."
Democrats appearing on FOX to appeal to the "folks" behind their much-touted ratings are reaching people who won't vote for them. It's a waste of time, disappoints those of us who see FOX for what it really is, and gives FOX a credibility it doesn't deserve.
