Record numbers of viewers tune in to the GOP convention

After lackluster showings in viewership at the beginning of the week, the Republican National Convention bounced back on Wednesday and Thursday, making it the most-watched political convention in American history (or at least since Nielsen began recording convention viewership in 1960).

John McCain's acceptance of the Republican nomination last night drew 38.9 million viewers -- a television audience that was 41% larger than the audience for day four of the 2004 GOP convention, which drew only 27.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

This year the Republicans averaged 34.5 million viewers over three nights (Monday's program was shortened and not counted because of Hurricane Gustav) while the Democrats averaged 30.2 million viewers over four nights.

After McCain's acceptance, Sarah Palin's speech on Wednesday night gave the GOP its biggest boost in viewership numbers. McCain's VP pick drew 37 million viewers. 

In comparison, Barack Obama's acceptance of the Democratic nomination drew 38.4 million viewers.

Nielsen's analysis of who is tuning in is revealing.

For example, McCain’s speech drew significantly more men than Obama’s acceptance speech (19.2 million compared with Obama's 17.9 million). And Obama’s speech drew more women (19.9 million compared with McCain 19.2 million).

White viewers flocked to their TVs for McCain’s speech (32.2 million versus 27 million for Obama). But among African Americans, the reverse was true. About 7.5 million African Americans watched Obama’s speech last week, while 3.1 million tuned in for McCain’s.

The actual numbers of those tuning in to both Obama and Palin are higher than the Nielsen figures indicate, because Nielsen does not record PBS' viewers.

-- Kate Linthicum

Comments

[Geezer's heartbeat away from ???]

Hey Condi Rice is in Lybia talking to Kadafi. Isn't that exactly what Barak Obama pointed out we need to be doing? Didn't John McCain deride this concept of diplomacy as being misguided?

Pay attention Repubs, you can lear a great deal about foreign affairs from someone who is globally conscientious. Oh, and best you dump the geezer who can't justify a friends and family calling plan because of a lack of participants.

[LadyPatriot1776]

Palin must not have learned in SUnday school that JESUS was a community organizer for most of his earthly life.

Palin has the same old Bush/Cheney policies, but looks a whole lot nicer and has a more polished appearance. A turd with a bow wrapped around it is STILL a turd :-(

[southern belle]

Yeah, but the record number was because a lot of us Democrats tuned in to watch McCain. I for one fell asleep in front of the TV. The man is not that sharp and didn't have anything substantive to say about policy. I've heard Obama talking about policies throughout his campaign. I think its the Republicans who really need to explain exactly what they think they would do if they were elected (other than whine that they are victims of the media, Obama, etc. etc. and say mean and spiteful things).

[Dr. Dave]

Geezer's heartbeat away from ??? said:

"Hey Condi Rice is in Lybia talking to Kadafi. Isn't that exactly what Barak Obama pointed out we need to be doing?"

You totally overlooked the fact that Libya finally caved to the tough US sanctions and STOPPED their nuclear program way BEFORE Rice started these talks. Your man Obama believes in talking FIRST without the pre-conditions. It took over twenty years of tough sanctions beginning with a bombing of Kadafis palace r to make this breakthrough happen. All your man Obama offers is appeasement and whimpish useless "tough talk".

[SammyD]

Actually, Condi's visit to LIbya is exactly in line with current US foriegn policy towards Iran. Libya agreed to shut down their nuclear weapons program, turned over all the equipement to UN inspectors and opened up all their records. In exchange, the West has opened economic relations with Libya. North Korea is moving in the same direction. Iran is refusing to concede anything.

[CountryFirst]

Did you miss when Libya was taken off the state sponsors of terrorism list in 2006 (http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/66244.htm) and when it agreed to take resonsibility for the PanAm downing? Relations with Libya have for years now been on the track towards normalization. No comparison to Iran. Pay attention before you post ridiculous claims.

[Nick]

Americans are missing what is happening in this campaign. As Rick Davis explained, this campaign is not about the issues. What does that mean? It means that the Rove-Davis-McCain strategy is character assassination. We've seen this before, right Democrats? It is an insidious strategy that turns a candidate’s strengths into weaknesses by destroying the candidate’s credibility.

Without credibility, a candidate has no foundation from which to make claims or propose policy. So, as the Democrats cry about the campaign being distracted from the big issues, the Republican machine will slowly destroy Obama's positive image in order to degrade his credibility. Meanwhile, the Republican's will raise divisive issues to drive their base to the polls and create a backlash against Obama's inclusive domestic agenda.

The Democrats seem not to understand the depth and fervor of the culture war. Democrats, we must not lose this election battle. The stakes are too high! We must turn the tables on the Republican attacks on the character and principles or our elected representatives.

It is time that the Democrats assert the moral high ground. It is time for us to take the fight to the individuals behind McCain and raise their character as an issue in this campaign. The highroad will work only if we are willing to expose the sinister truth about the Neo-cons, their ideology, their position in American politics, and their prominent role within the Bush-McCain regimes. If Democrats won’t take their gloves off and get nasty, then we at least have to expose the dirty truth about the Neo-cons, or else we risk being slandered out of another election.

Neo-con Republicans are not conservative -- certainly not in the classical sense. Just ask Ron Paul and so many other disenchanted conservatives. The Neo-cons support massive executive discretionary powers, privileges of immunity for the appointees of the executive, huge transfers of public wealth into the hands of private government contractors (see Halliburton and Black Water), huge transfers of public land into the hands of big oil, massive pentagon spending, sweeping powers for the intelligence agencies, increased dependence on private-military entities so that private contractors get rich at the expense of our national defense, public bailouts for private corporations, tax cuts for those who don’t need them, government invasion of individual liberties but minimal government checks on private power exercised in the corporate and political domain, increased military intervention in foreign lands, and other programs that are NOT representative of a conservative government.

In short, neo-conservatism has ushered in minimal government transparency, accountability, and responsibility to the citizens. See how Rove flaunts the systems of checks-and-balances in the name of executive authority. Neo-conservatism is highly authoritarian and it is time that America starts to talk openly about this fact. Democrats cannot be afraid to speak up! ‘Yes Democrats can,’ but will they?! We must!

Democrats must make this campaign about the issues and in the process must take issue with the Neo-con players running the Republican machine. Democrats must expose the Neo-con ideology underlying its adherents Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, Feif, Scheunemann, and now McCain-Palin, etc. The Neo-cons must be exposed as the paranoid-delusional, tyrannical, profiteering, and self-gratifying war pigs that they are.

Democrats must reach the common man who has been conditioned to believe that his best interests are not America’s best interests. The Democrats must help the common man to recognize that dogmatic neo-conservatism does not serve his best interests. During the RNC, how many mentions were made of the plight of the middle-class or the poor? The Democrats must expose and thwart the Rovian strategy of divide-and-conquer. Democrats must transcend the divisive and distracting issues consistently raised by the Republican to distract the common man from our common interests.

American must begin from the points upon which we agree and develop social policy out from those points. The opulent minority understands that raising divisive issues keeps the electorate distracted from its common causes. America’s destiny is common to all – no matter a person’s class, creed, or color. Democrats – no more succumbing in the face of neocon tactics -- it is time to expose them. The truth must be spread from every corner in every community. Not another Democrat’s character assassinated. Yes we can win this election, yes we must, yes we shall!

[Cody Mack]

I'm glad there was a record audience to see the worst acceptance speech in recent history. I wasn't sure if McCain was able to stay awake up there, it was far past his bedtime, mumbling on about Vietnam, and being a Repub puppet with no clear platform.

[Tom]

Well, it seems most Democrats watched both conventions, whereas Republicans only watched the RNC...typical blinders on for the Right.."oh, and we just love Sarah...uh-huh, if she were a Democrat, you'd have a whole different message!

[Ayne]

McCain's such a 'celebrity'! ;D

Oh and good post 'Geezer's heartbeat away from ???'

[Erik]

Who is the biggest celebrity now?

[Bill]

Geezer....Condi's visit to Lybia is after years and years of Lybia abiding by terms of disarmament and anti-terrorism. Keep up with the news and you will get your comparison's correct. This is vitally different than going into an Iran, a full terrorist state, and trying to negotiate with them. It will take years of Iran doing what Lybia has done to gain enough trust to warrant these types of talks.

[John Parker]

To say that Obama has ANY experience in dealing with global affairs is just ignorant. Aside from touring the world once with a media entourage and attempting to make a Kennedy/Regan-esque speech at the Brandenburg Gates (which the Germans shut down) he has done nothing in the international realm. McCain chaired the IRI which is the republican entity that deals with ALL foreign affairs, While Obama was in Hawaii still to young to even think about using drugs McCain was suffering for HIS country in a POW camp in Vietnam, doesn t this stuff just speak for itself. Wake up America, Obama is just another smooth tongued politician McCain is the answer

[J.Love]

Everyone who claims that "I am a democrat and I watched the McCain speech and that is why the numbers are inflated" is a ridiculous claim. I watched the Obama speech and the McCain speech and I'm voting for McCain/Palin.

How can you automatically assume that all Republicans tuned out of the Obama speech? Do you have some special telekinetic powers that enable you to come up with that outlandish and outrageous statement? No you don't.

As soon as I heard Obama broke records after his speech, I didn't go "geez, must've been because all the Republicans out there tuned in, that's why his ratings were so high." I'm not that immature and or uneducated to make that ludicrous statement.

I, for one, believe that the race has caught the attention of America, as it should. Why can't we just admit that the ratings were so high for both because everyone has taken a keen interest this year for a change. We all want change. We all want our sides to win, but we can all agree that our country can't head the way it has been going lately. Either way, quit being so ridiculous and stop wasting time worrying about TV ratings, when you should be worrying about what each candidate will do for your country and what you can do for your country.

[averageamerican]

At the convention, Cindy McCain was wearing an outfil worth over $300,000. Thi sis much more than most Americans' HOMES are worth.

Yet John McCain insists that Obama is elitist.

I can say that I am a breadbox, but sayin' it don't make it true.

[renegade1]

Y'all know that these are all estimates, right? Here's how it works - in Atlanta, GA, a metropolitan area with around 5 million inhabitants, there are approximately 620 "people meter" boxes that measure viewership in people's homes. 620 households - that's right. Judge the accuracy of any of these figures for yourselves now.

[Demo_nomo]

hehehe, the angry left woke up angrier this morning. too bad. you'll get over it, i'm sure. there'll be another election in 4 years, you know. (ooops, you might lose then as well.)

[ronstratton]

Reading all the snide,sophomoric posts from the libs and it is easy to see that Senator McCain and Governor Palin have scared the hell out of them They can't stop sputtering and fuming that they have been out shown. Pay attention kids, you are going to see what happens when adults take control. Senator Obama will always be held in high regard by most Americans because he scuttled the carpetbagger who is married to a famous man and perhaps next time Obama may win, but probably not this time. Sneering does not make a valid argument but it is all the Dems can do.. stick a fork in them,,,they're done.

[Otis]

Gaddafi's daughter, Aisha, is hot! Look up her photos on Google Images.

[Chris K]

I wasted my time last week and watched O'bama [he's right, he doesn't look like those other Irish guys...].
It was a waste of time- but it did remind me of my favorite musical- Jesus Christ Superstar.

[Chris K]

I read on some blog that O'bama's suit was worth over $500,000, almost as much as my house!!!

[asdfasdf]

"Record numbers of viewers tune in to the GOP convention"

What this article DOESNT tell you is that it's because DEMOCRATS actually watched the GOP convention and the GOP did NOT watch the DNC convention.

Republicans are America's cancer. Cut the cancer out!

[PFJ]

Yes they watched but immediately afterward started contributing to the Obama campaign. Thank you McCain/Palin! or Should I say Keating5/troopergate?

[rural americans]

Hubby and I were saving a "write-in" vote for Ron Paul, but Sarah Palin took us by surprise!

How could any rational person (who looks through fair and unbiased prism, instead of partisan) not be simply thrilled with Sarah Palin?

Big city liberals from the KOS and MoveOn should be scared...very scared. Rural American values are coming back in vogue.

[William]

Concerning Hussein Obama's experience as a community organizer:

Based on this qualification he is far down on the list of competant effective candidates.

Using this criteria the following are much more qualified to be president than Mr. Obama.

#1 The Reverend Al Sharpton. Excellent speaker. Superb execution in motivation his followers to rally behind the cause.

#2 The Reverend Jesse Jackson. His experience and expertise are well documented. Much more experienced than Mr. Obama.

Distant 3rd. Barrack Hussein Obama. He needs to give the first 2 a call for some pointers on brushing up his resume.

[Sally]

All the dem women’s, some important information you need to know about the right wing nut
- She supports banning abortions in case of rape or incest
- She favors teaching creationism in public schools
- She supports abstinence only education to be taught in schools (we know the results)
- She doesn't support funding programs for reducing teenage pregnancies
- She supports censoring information from public libraries
- She thinks Iraq war was 'God’s Will'
- She abused her power while in office
- She supported bridge to nowhere before opposing it

Don't get fooled by this lipstick wearing right wing pschyco, she will definitely transform this country like Taliban transformed Afghanistan

[Morris]

The McCain numbers include PBS, but the Obama numbers do not. With PBS included, Obama pulled in just under 42 million.

[Sydney]

If you really want to know more about Palin, and let me tell you - it's scary - go to http://mudflats.wordpress.com - you journalists pay attention as well.

[Dahlia Pace]

Translation Guide for the Secret Language of the Republican Party

"Drill Now": We'd much rather increase our oil drilling production by 3% than reduce energy consumption by 35%, and we'll still be able to say (with the little conscience we have left) that "we did everything we could". What we'll not tell you is that the U.S. already has more oil wells (over 510,000) than any other country in the world; the problem of course is that our wells simply don't produce nearly enough oil. Even if we drilled every inch of the 68-million acres of U.S. land available today for oil drilling, the costs would far exceed other options and we'd still have to import well over 50% of our oil.

"Fight for your future": Fighting ensures we can keep giving money to our defense industry - and since we're using the military as a substitute for a poverty and welfare program, fighting over there keeps our lower classes from fighting over here.

"Culture of Life": We need to control your life in order to maintain our expensive culture. Eventually, we're going to ask you to give your life to also support our culture, but let's wait until you're of fighting age first (see above).

"Urban Elites": Rich people who care for poor people - we hate them!

"Ethics commissioner and chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission": Haha, get it? That one always cracks us up.

"School accountability": Let's create some really good excuses to underfund public education.

"Communism": socialism for the poor.
"Capitalism": socialism for the wealthy.

"Reduce the death tax...capital gains tax...business tax": We really believe the only people who should pay any taxes at all are those who work a salary for a living. Shhhhh, please don't tell them though.

"Victory in Iraq": We sure as heck aren't going to ever go after the Saudi, Egyptian, and Pakistani perpetrators of 9/11, they are all way too tough. So let's keep beating up on the playground pansies Iraq and Afghanistan lest someone catch on.

"Community Organizer": We really can't have people doing selfless good works for all the right reasons, so we're going to make this sound as much like a communist-leaning inner-city gang member as we can.

"Obama lacks experience": We'll never ever ever admit that a Harvard Law Degree magna cum laude, president of the Harvard Law Review, civil rights attorney, 12 years guest professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago, 3 years community organizing and outreach including establishing a job-training program, 8 years in the Illinois legislature, over 3 years in the U.S. Senate, a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee, 2 published books, and over 36-million votes is pretty damn impressive for a man of 47. Nope, you can't make us listen...nah nah nah nah we're covering our ears.

"Executive Experience": Able to make snap decisions without the irritating input of the populace, and well-versed in the black arts of manipulation and corruption.

"Pro-life under trying circumstances": If impregnating our teenage daughters is all it takes to keep us in office for 4 more years, you've got a deal!

[Happy Meal]

All your rock star they belog to us ...

[Carolina]

What about Biden AKA. Ball and chain. How many did he draw?

[rural american]

ladypatriot (yeah right) says: "Palin must not have learned in SUnday school that JESUS was a community organizer for most of his earthly life."

Lady, are you implying that Obama walks on water?

If you've actually studied scripture, you'd know that Jesus fearlessly took on the local government, even to death.

Obama, plugged into the good ol' boy Chicago political cabal and prospered!

What would Jesus do? Well, He wouldn't do what Obama has done and try to sell it as "change."

[citizenbfk]

I know I tuned in to see if McCain would fall down or something.

Plus, I was eager to hear Pallin. An Obama/Palin ticket might have been cool.

[sharons]

the reason that so many people watched is that Palin interjected the whole 'train wreck' baggage into the scenario.... all people like to slow down and like to watch to see if anything of the bits of baggage and debris are still going to 'blow up'...

[Bob]

The GOP platform is simple. Keep out the TAX & SPEND, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your man had his chance to nominate Clinton, but he didn't have the gonads to do it, so live with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paudio]

Obama's novelty started to wear off. People start to realize, "what has he done in the US Senate?" After all, Obama has been the chair of the uber important Sub-Committee on Europe, but has never called for a meeting even once!

Obama has been busy running another office. The sub-committee, among others, also is responsible for NATO, which technically is the one overseeing the war in Afghanistan. Apparently, Obama prefers backroom discussions rather than calling for an open discussion. Just like when he's avoiding McCain's invitation for Townhall debates.

This is why more people watched TV last night to see what McCain has to offer. The constant investigations on Palin, while avoiding to do the same on Obama's records and history, made people even want to know about the ticket.

[Red State]

Hey Country First, yawn. If McCains speach was boring then your drivel would bore someone to a dirt nap. What a tool! Typical parnoid whining liberal. I hope you didn't have blue face paint on pretending to be William Wallace in the mirror as you wrote this. Put up a candidate that won't raise my taxes, restrict my guns and generally not offend me in most things he stands for and you may have a chance. But that isn't going to happen now is it? You are right about the culture war. Your candidates are the biggest threat to my culture and I will fight to protect my culture. Your culture will not be imposed upon me because your elitest view of society says I would be better off if I were more like you. Go read Doonesbury over a Starbuck's double latte and stop spewing your dreck.

[frustrated]

The bottom line most people are missing and refusing to see is that, not one word about how McCain is going to help everyday average people make their house payment buy groceries or find a job. Instead we here Obama is going to raise taxes, yes on the wealthiest 5%. Everyone else will pay lower taxes and get to see more of their paycheck. so when McCain says WE can’t afford an Obama presidency what he means is HE cannot afford one or his special interest buddies that pour millions into his campaign, people need to wake up and let go of their "one party view point" look at the facts THE REAL facts and make an educated decision for once. Smears and character attacks are unacceptable we need to know what they plan to do to make this country strong again. They always say Obama doesn’t have experience, well look where experienced politicians have gotten us. Wake up and leave your prejudice and die hard party affiliations at the door

[Scott]

Nick,

How does a consistent track record of attacking a corrupt political establishment of both the opposition and her own party become defined as neo-conservativism? When was the last time a Democrat called for an investigation into a Democratic lobbying organization or politician? Sarah Palin has been in elected politics for 13 years and her performance is 100% consistent over that time frame. What was Obama doing 13 years ago? She is a reformer conservative.

Check your map/globe, 2 of the neighbors of Alaska happen to be other countries (Russia and Canada). If you don't think there are security issues, trade issues and energy issues between the state of Alaska and those nations you should do some more research. That experience alone gives the VP candidate on the Republican ticket more experience that the POTUS candidate on the Democratic ticket. Talking about it is one thing, actually doing it is another. Obama has never actually done anything except promote himself.

Furthermore, if I were to grant you your premise on neo-conservatism and the wealth transfer, it still would pale in comparison to the transfer of wealth Obama/Biden are proposing via increasing taxes, public health care, subsidized energy and education etc. Technically Fascism (which is similar to your definition of neo-conservatism) and Socialism/Communism (which is what Obama promotes) are about $.05 apart. They are about big government redistributing resources and telling you how to live your life. I'll pass on both and take conservative reform from a ticket that while not perfect has participants who don't need Hollywood's approval to serve their country.

[Chris K]

Decoder Ring for Dem / Femnazi talke:

'right to choose'

"We shouldn't waterboard suspected terrorists, but it's OK to waterboard 16 wk old babies to death."
There were 144,000 second-term abortions in the US last year. Find pictures of 16 wk old 'fetus', it has arms, legs, head, and life.
O'bama says it's above his pay grade to say when his children first became alive and human.

He's a joke, and a fraud.

[Bob]

Jesus wasn't running for President of the U.S..

[Red State]

Sorry Country First. My comments were directed at Nick. His post was so long winded that I mistook his post as yours.

[Chris in Iowa]

I think some of you tend to forget that middle America exists. I was an Obama supporter until yesterday. What changed my mind the most was the big media companies, as well as some democrats calling anyone from a small town a "hick" or "white trash". If I am white trash, then I will now vote for a white trash Republican from Alaska. She is one of us. She understands and shares our values. She knows the hard hours we put in day after day working in the fields. I can see her fighting for us more today than Obama. That is a shame, because I thought Obama was not Hollywood, but the more I see and hear, he reminds me of another actor I might see on the big screen.

[aldrin]

Democrats are so so so desperate to win! ! ! !

[ANNIE]

POOR SALLY! SHE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO GO TO THE FACTS INSTEAD OF THE LIBERAL BLOGS!

All the dem women’s, some important information you need to know about the right wing nut
- She supports banning abortions in case of rape or incest
- She favors teaching creationism in public schools -- SHE SUPPORTS OPEN DISCUSSION BUT DOES NOT BELIEVE CREATIONISM SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE CURRICULUM
- She supports abstinence only education to be taught in schools (we know the results). THIS CAME FROM A QUESTIONNAIRE SHE FILLED OUT THAT ASKED WHETHER SHE WOULD SUPPORT ABSTINENCE OR EXPLICIT SEX EDUCATION...PERIOD. I PERSONALLY DO NOT APPRECIATE HAVING THE SCHOOLS TEACH MY CHILDREN HOW TO APPLY A CONDOM. AND SINCE ABSTINENCE ONLY IS NOT TAUGHT IN MOST SCHOOLS, WE DO NOT KNOW THE RESULTS. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT SEX EDUCATION HASN'T REDUCED TEEN PREGNANCY EITHER.
- She doesn't support funding programs for reducing teenage pregnancies WHY THE HELL SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT PAY FOR THAT??
- She supports censoring information from public libraries SHE MAY SUPPORT ELIMINATING PORNOGRAPHY PURCHASED WITH FEDERAL DOLLARS, BUT SHE DOES NOT SUPPORT CENSORING "INFORMATION."
- She thinks Iraq war was 'God’s Will'
SHE NEVER SAID THAT. THIS IS A MISQUOTE.
- She abused her power while in office PROVE IT. THE MAN SHE IS ACCUSED OF FORCING TO FIRE A ROGUE STATE TROOPER (WHO WAS KNOWN TO ABUSE HIS OWN POWER) DENIES THAT SHE DID ANYTHING.
- She supported bridge to nowhere before opposing it AND THEN SHE LEARNED FROM HER MISTAKES...HOW HORRIBLE IS THAT?!

Don't get fooled by this lipstick wearing right wing pschyco, she will definitely transform this country like Taliban transformed Afghanistan ONLY THE IGNORANT PEOPLE LIKE YOU WILL SUCCEED IN DOING THAT.

[asdfasd]

republicans are truly pathetic fools. they'll fall for ANYTHING.

[Chris K]

'frustrated' plays the 'race card' just like O'bama does.
great, very helpful.

"I'm from Washingon, and I'm here to help"

LOL

[Greg]

Morris- How did you interpret that the McCain's speech numbers included PBS? I looked up on other sites and the 38.9 million is the Nielsen number as the above article states. Also, the above article states that Nielsen does not include PBS in their numbers. This means that McCain's 38.9 million is derived from the same pool of potential viewers as Obama's 38.4 million. I wish people would put a little more effort into fact checking their responses.

[Greg]

Morris- How did you interpret that the McCain's speech numbers included PBS? I looked up on other sites and the 38.9 million is the Nielsen number as the above article states. Also, the above article states that Nielsen does not include PBS in their numbers. This means that McCain's 38.9 million is derived from the same pool of potential viewers as Obama's 38.4 million. I wish people would put a little more effort into fact checking their responses.

[Sharley]

After reading some of these comments, I wonder how many posters actually read the legal terms? Specifically the part about posting. NO misleading, false, etc. information....
Sally and Dahlia Pace : where did you get your information?
ronstratton, chris k, rural american, annie, and others: I really enjoyed the comments.