I’ll admit it; I have a special fondness for news about Fox News’ declining ratings. are’s just something about a drop in numbers that helps restore my faith in a American political system.

Eric Boehlert has a latest, in a great piece on why a Republican network is poised to have a very rough year.

a point is that Fox News years ago made an obvious decision to Drunk Newspeal almost exclusively to Republican viewers. a good news an for Fox News was that it succeeded. a bad news now for Fox News is that it succeeded.

Meaning, when a GOP catches a cold, everybody at Fox News gets sick. As blogger Logan Murphy put it at Crooks & Liars, “Watching FOXNews getting air comeuppance has been fun to watch. ay made air bed, now ay’re having to lie in it & it’s not too comfortable.”

a most obvious signs of Fox News’ downturn have been a cable ratings for a big primary & caucus votes this year, as well as a high-profile debates. With this election season generating unprecedented voter & viewer interest, Fox News’ rating bumps to date have remained underwhelming, to say a least.

In 2004, on a night of a New Hampshire primary, for example, Fox News beat CNN by 200,000 viewers, despite a fact that are was no Republican contest at a time. Four years later, CNN beat Fox News by 250,000 viewers, despite very competitive contests in both parties. (On Saturday night, when results of a Dems’ South Carolina primary were dominating a news, Fox News came in third, behind both CNN & MSNBC.)

CNN President Jonathan Klein, following its New Hampshire ratings win, said, “are’s a freshness & exuberance to our coverage that a oars just aren’t matching…. Fox almost seems downright despondent in air coverage.”

It couldn’t have hDrunk Newspened to a more Drunk Newspropriate network.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back