As the viewers of America continue to tune out his program in droves, CNN host Piers Morgan can at least take solace from the knowing that fellow anti-gun zealot Dianne Feinstein thinks he's a swell guy for being so shamelessly biased.
Honestly, though, that's not much of a consolation considering that the very edition of Morgan's show on which Feinstein gave him the compliment turned out being one of Morgan's lowest-rated episodes ever, drawing only 87,000 viewers in the key 25- to 54-year-old demographic that advertisers crave.
The Democratic senator from California made the remark while a guest on Morgan's Thursday, February 28, program to promote the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, which she introduced on January 24 to “stop the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.”
Referring to the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School that resulted in the deaths of 26 children and adults in Newtown, Conn., the 79-year-old gun-control advocate declared:
When it happens to 6-year-olds, it's time for this country to take action. I think it's a matter of public policy. Weapons that are designed to kill large numbers of people in close combat don't belong on the streets of our cities.
Morgan then stated that many people consider the legislation unlikely to be voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and asked the former mayor of San Francisco why she's been so aggressive when dealing with the issue of gun control.
“I've been on a mission,” she said of her efforts to eliminate the powerful firearms. “A crime scene with these weapons isn't like it's on TV. There's blood and matter just spread all over the place. It's terrible and people, just their bodies, get hacked apart.”
As the interview drew to a close, Feinstein harshly criticized the National Rifle Association, which they claimed is responsible for a “gun culture” in the nation “that is letting bad things happen.” Instead, the people of America should “stand up” and “do what's right for this country.”
“Well, you're doing a fantastic job on this, Senator,” Morgan told her. “I absolutely applaud you and urge you to continue.”
The Democratic guest enthusiastically thanked the CNN host:
You have been wonderful. Thank you so much for your help. It is uphill all the way.
Feinstein apparently didn't realize that Morgan is facing a battle of his own that is also “uphill all the way.”
According to Amanda Kondolojy of Zap2It.com, that episode “suffered a yearly low” in the vital demographic of viewers from 25 to 54 years old and is down 27 percent in total viewers and 38 percent in the demo from its debut on Jan. 17, 2011.
In addition, Kondolojy noted that Morgan's Thursday night edition also had the lowest demo in its time slot and was even surpassed by HLN's “Dr. Drew” program, which attracted an audience of approximately 208,000 viewers.
As NewsBusters previously reported, Morgan bullied gun-rights advocate John Lott on the previous evening's program, at one point declaring: "I'm going to keep talking, so I suggest you keep quiet."
While it's uncertain if the liberal host's behavior that night contributed directly to the drop in Thursday evening's demographics, John Nolte of Breitbart.com stated that Morgan's “slow-motion train wreck” has exposed him as a proven loser whose brief ratings rise was nothing more than “a sugar high.”
Can Piers Morgan rebound from his dismal ratings and demographics, or will he be another casualty of the arrival of Jeff Zucker as president of CNN? Only time will tell.
