Looks like we won't have Piers Morgan to kick around anymore

'Piers Morgan Live' coming to an end, CNN says | Fox News

[www.foxnews.com]

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Pier-ing Into the Abyss of Cancellation

[www.nationalreview.com]

"Was it something that suggested the Second Amendment shouldn’t exist, or that most gun owners were dangerous, unstable, and a menace? Yeah, he’s said that kind of stuff before. A lot of times, in fact. He’s gotten called out on it many, many times.

That’s just who Piers Morgan is. He’s not going to change.

And he never changed. Instead, viewers changed the channel."

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so this guy blames "Groupthink" for the unpopularity of Piers Morgan, not on his views. We're obliged to hate Piers Morgan because everybody else hates him. Lame. No, we don't like him because he's rude and a Gun Grabber.

Piers Morgan: The Man You Feel Obliged to Hate

[blogs.telegraph.co.uk]

"But there’s more at play here than jealousy. We’ve also got another classic example of the new British disease – groupthink.

Some people blame the emergence of this new herd – some would say mob – mentality on the rise of modern social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. But I first noticed it during that period of mass national psychosis that followed the immediate death of Princess Diana. That was the first time in this country I’d ever felt it would be dangerous for me to express an opinion different from the perceived status quo.

But there’s more at play here than jealousy. We’ve also got another classic example of the new British disease – groupthink.
Some people blame the emergence of this new herd – some would say mob – mentality on the rise of modern social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. But I first noticed it during that period of mass national psychosis that followed the immediate death of Princess Diana. That was the first time in this country I’d ever felt it would be dangerous for me to express an opinion different from the perceived status quo."

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CNN to cancel Piers Morgan show amid ratings collapse - Washington Times

[www.washingtontimes.com]

CNN has given up on trying to make Piers Morgan the new Larry King after a three-year run and will pull the plug on the Briton’s 9 p.m. talk show, which has been finishing far behind rivals Megyn Kelly on Fox News Channel and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

According to Nielsen ratings from last week, “Piers Morgan Live” was seen nightly by just 270,000 viewers nationwide and only 50,000 people in the key advertising demographic of Americans ages 25 to 54. Ms. Kelly and Ms. Maddow had, respectively, audiences of more than 2 million and 900,000 overall and more than 350,000 and 220,000 in that key 25 to 54 age group.

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Piers Morgan and CNN Plan End to His Prime-Time Show - NYTimes.com

[www.nytimes.com]

I received a return call from Mr. Morgan and was prepared for an endless argument over my assumptions. Not so. His show, he conceded, was not performing as he had hoped and was nearing its end.

“It’s been a painful period and lately we have taken a bath in the ratings,” he said, adding that although there had been times when the show connected in terms of audience, slow news days were problematic.

“Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it,” he said. “That’s run its course and Jeff and I have been talking for some time about different ways of using me.”

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Piers Morgan talkshow axed by CNN after collapse in ratings

[www.theguardian.com]

"A spokeswoman for the US network said recent disclosures that British police had interviewed Morgan over phone-hacking allegations were not a factor in his dismissal.

“The decision had nothing to do with the hacking interview – not at all,” said CNN’s Allison Gollust, who said the date of the final episode of Piers Morgan Live had yet to be determined.

Morgan, who lost his job at the Daily Mirror after publishing fake pictures of alleged British troop misconduct in Iraq, had built a reputation for campaigns on gun control while at CNN but was blamed for a steady slide in the show’s ratings since Larry King’s retirement.

“It’s been a painful period and lately we have taken a bath in the ratings,” Morgan told the New York Times, which first broke news of the CNN decision on Sunday.

“Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarizing, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it.”"

I'm sure he'd do a bang-up job of telling Brits how to live. Americans not so much. See ya!

I would like to hear what "Duck Dynasty" thinks of Piers Morgan, lol.

Hi veganjuice,

Here are some interesting tidbits about the Duck Dynasty guys -

Surprising Facts About Duck Dynasty - ChaCha

[www.chacha.com]

After all the hoopla about their being racist or whatever it was - I can't remember now - we watched a couple episodes. It was funny. I liked it - except for killing animals. They're down to earth regular people.

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They and a bunch of other media guys went out to eat and someone left a $5,000 tip, so it was a bit of a mystery for a few days as to who the generous patron was -

'Duck Dynasty' star left $5K tip after dining with Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Sen. Ted Cruz

[www.washingtontimes.com]

Sean Hannity and Willie Robertson Walked Into a Restaurant Earlier This Month — the Wait Staff Walked Out $5,000 Richer

[www.theblaze.com]

Did Willie Robertson or Sean Hannity leave the $5,000 tip at a steak house? -

[www.examiner.com]

Rand Paul just won the CPAC straw poll -

Sen. Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll

[www.foxnews.com]

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul has won the CPAC straw poll Saturday for potential 2016 presidential candidates, taking first place for the second straight year.

The first term senator won 31 percent of the vote, ahead of second-place finisher Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz who took 11 percent.

Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul has won the CPAC straw poll Saturday for potential 2016 presidential candidates, taking first place for the second straight year.

The first term senator won 31 percent of the vote, ahead of second-place finisher Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz who took 11 percent. They were among a crowded field of hopefuls on the ballot at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference gathering in suburban Maryland.

"I am grateful to all the attendees who stood with me," Paul said afterward. "Together we will fight for what is right. Thank you and onwards to victory."

The results are considered a key indicator of what conservative voters are thinking and how they might vote in 2016.

The third-place finisher was Dr. Ben Carson, with 11 percent. He was followed by New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie, 9 percent; Wisconsin GOP. Gov. Scott Walker, 7 percent; former Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum, and Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, at 6 percent. Rubio finished second last year.

CPAC officials said 25 potential candidates were on the ballot and that roughly 2,000 people who attended the event voted."

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"It's utterly meaningless"

"This is the most ardent conservative ideological gathering of the right that the country has here at CPAC."

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Paul Clinches Straw Poll Gold

[thehill.com]

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has won the Conservative Political Action Conference's straw poll for the second year in a row.

Paul took 31 percent of the vote, a 20 point lead over second-place finisher Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). The freshman senator got 11 percent, but saw a significant uptick from just 4 percent last year.

Conservative favorite Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon who's amassed a grassroots following, was third with 9 percent. Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who addressed the crowd this year after not being invited in 2012, was fourth with 8 percent support.

The biggest loser of the night was Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Though he finished in second place last year with 23 percent, this year his support cratered and he finished in seventh place with just 6 percent support. The Florida senator saw his support among the conservative base erode following his support for comprehensive immigration reform.

According to the American Conservative Union, CPAC's sponsor who conducts the straw poll, 2,459 people voted this year on a ballot that featured 26 prospective presidential contenders. The turnout is a slight increase from 2010, the last midterm cycle.

Paul’s win was widely expected, as the CPAC crowd has traditionally skewed libertarian. In 2013, he took a quarter of the vote, and his father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) won the poll in 2010 and 2011.

Indeed, the libertarian lean was on display during his speech to a standing room-only crowd on Friday, one of the best-received at the conference. And a pro-Paul group, Young Americans for Liberty, had an outsize presence at the conference.

The group’s executive director, Jeff Frazee, said it passed out 1,100 “Stand with Rand” t-shirts, 1,000 signs and 2,5000 stickers, and that 485 supporters signed up to attend CPAC through the group.

While the straw poll is considered a barometer of where the conservative base stands on the party’s leaders, its influence has waned in recent years as the libertarian presence at CPAC has grown.

Paul’s win last year was more notable as he had just begun his rise as a national political player and a credible presidential candidate, fresh off his now-famous filibuster to protest the administration’s drone use. Then, his first-place finish offered Paul some added legitimacy within the movement and increased media attention.

But this year, Paul told The Hill on Friday that he doesn’t pay much attention to the straw poll.

“We’re not too focused on the straw poll,” he said, and joked: “We hope to finish in the top 10.”

Rand Paul will have no chance when various Nazis and other fringe types start coming out in support of him. The key is to somehow get the loons to shut up. Otherwise, he'll have to spend his entire campaign distancing himself from them and leading off every interview with questions as to why he attracts a crowd like that.