WASHINGTON, 1 February — The ratings are in, and President Bush has received an "all thumbs up" rating from television viewers and newscasters.
President Bush attracted almost 52 million households Tuesday night, according the Nielsen ratings, which is roughly one out of four of the American population. President Clinton’s audience ranged from a high of 41 million viewers in 1993 to a low of 27 million in 1997.
In essence, President Bush transformed the State of the Union speech into a must-see television event, quite an achievement — as Americans have tended to tune out, rather than tune in to the presidential address.
"We knew viewers wanted authoritative coverage — not snotty, nitpicky analysis," Fox News Channel’s Brit Hume said yesterday, following the announcement that more Americans watched the address on their station, which even won over CNN.
"We always understood that this president has an enormous commitment to the war, and we said it here first, and treated it seriously. Viewers anticipated that."
Viewers also found Bush’s speech compelling. A CNN-USA Today poll found that 88 percent of the viewers watched the entire speech, with three-quarters calling it "positive." A CBS poll found an impressive 86 percent of viewers approved of what the president said.
The president succeeded in coming across as sincere, even by analysts who not so long ago were predicting the president was riding a wave of popularity from the aftermath of Sept. 11.
Viewers and newscasters called his speech determined, eloquent, vigorous, confidant and sobering, among other compliments.
"You don’t hit the ball farther out the park than he did tonight," effused one MSNBC correspondent.
Some pundits did complain that Enron was not mentioned. "He’s lecturing corporate America that they should disclose more about their finances when he himself is facing a lawsuit because he refuses to disclose the meeting his government had with Enron," Democratic strategist Paul Begala said.
"I was surprised and, frankly, disappointed, that the president did not tackle the Enron situation," US News & World Report’s David Gergen said on ABC.
"War and recession are solemn matters. But they should not be used as a cloak to hide weaknesses in the Bush White House," the Boston Globe said in an editorial.
Others, notably liberals, took digs at the president’s performance.
"Most likely, Mr. Bush’s somewhat formless speech will give him a bump in the polls," the Los Angeles Times noted. Another Times headline read: "Bush seeks to capitalize on wartime spirit."
The State of the Union’s high ratings were good news for both the president and Fox News Channel — which this month scored its first-ever ratings victory over CNN in both prime time and for the total day. After five years in the business, FNC beat CNN on both counts for the month, even though CNN is available in more homes.
