Inside the Beltway: Here comes the ‘Roseanne voter’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Analysts were astonished when “Roseanne” ran away with the TV ratings this week. The prime-time sitcom did, after all, offer a relatively positive message about President Trump, his administration and the heartland’s working-class population. Some jittery observers wondered if a new voter demographic had emerged — the “Roseanne voter” — a hybrid of populist and independent realists who still believe in America and lean patriotic, and could confound even the most astute political strategists. Others wonder if Hollywood will comprehend that its audience is a varied one, and act upon this phenomenon.

And now, the pollsters have arrived.

“Republicans are ripe for ’Roseanne’ revival,” notes a Morning Consult survey that revealed something Republicans already know — they don’t get much attention in TV and pop culture.

“Republicans feel underrepresented on television: Just 36 percent of Republicans feel as though their political views are represented on television — a number that drops to 19 percent when considering broad representation in pop culture. In contrast, 57 percent of Democrats believe their politics are reflected on the small screen,” the survey said.

“Being represented in the media is a form of power,” Sherri Williams, an American University associate communications professor, told Morning Consult.

The surprise inclusion of a pro-Trump viewpoint in “Roseanne” also brought out a new GOP loyalty.

“Roseanne’s association with President Trump makes Republicans more likely to watch: 59 percent of Republicans said they’re more likely to watch ’Roseanne’ knowing Roseanne Barr’s character is a Trump supporter, while 54 percent of Democrats said they’re less likely to tune in,” the pollster noted.

The survey also revealed a refreshing dynamic that Republicans, Democrats and Americans in general agree on. The working class should have more representation on the airwaves: 73 percent of Americans overall said TV shows should have more working-class characters; 80 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of Republicans agreed.

Amazingly enough, the survey also found that 61 percent of Americans say that more characters who are senior citizens should be included. What about more characters who are clearly Republican or Democrat? Meh. The tepid response found that about third want to see more of politically-driven characters, a third are tired of them and a third are undecided. The response was very similar when respondents were asked to weigh in on conservative and liberal characters. And one more thing: Half of the respondents were less likely to watch TV shows that addressed “ongoing political conversations.”

Find more numbers in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.

THE TRUMPS’ EASTER PLANS

Perhaps the news media will take a breath for a few seconds on this Passover and Easter weekend. Perhaps. Inside the Beltway wishes everybody pleasant, calm moments over the next 48 hours or so.

Meanwhile, President Trump departed the nation’s capital Thursday evening to find a few pleasant and calm moments of his own in Palm Beach, Florida, where he joins first lady Melania Trump and son Barron, who arrived at the family homestead Mar-a-Lago earlier this week. Mrs. Trump, incidentally, has spent her time delivering Easter baskets to patients in a local hospital.

In the past, the family has attended Easter services at the nearby Episcopal Church of Bethesda-By-the-Sea. The church will livestream the 11 a.m. EST service at bbts.org. The family returns to the nation’s capital Sunday evening; there are big plans for Monday, when the president and first lady host the White House Easter Egg Roll, which begins at 7:30 a.m. and usually draws some 35,000 fans. The official 2018 White House commemorative Easter eggs are available, by the way, through the White House Historical Association. Find the details at WhiteHouseHistory.org.

A REAGAN MOMENT

“This week as American families draw together in worship, we join with millions upon millions of others around the world also celebrating the traditions of their faiths. During these days, at least, regardless of nationality, religion, or race, we are united by faith in God, and the barriers between us seem less significant,” President Ronald Reagan told the nation in his Easter and Passover greeting on April 2, 1983.

“Observing the rites of Passover and Easter, we’re linked in time to the ancient origins of our values and to the unborn generations who will still celebrate them long after we’re gone. As Paul explained in his Epistle to the Ephesians, ’He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. So then you were no longer strangers and aliens, but you were fellow citizens of God’s household,’” the president said. “This is a time of hope and peace, when our spirits are filled and lifted. It’s a time when we give thanks for our blessings — chief among them, freedom, peace and the promise of eternal life.”

POST-STORMY

Yes, well. Just so you know. Fifty-four percent of likely U.S. voters followed the news about Stormy Daniels and her recent “60 Minutes” interview with Anderson Cooper; 45 percent did not follow it, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday.

“But only 39 percent attach any importance to the Daniels interview when it comes to their perceptions of President Trump and the job he is doing; 56 percent don’t,” the pollster notes.

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POLL DU JOUR

• 50 percent of Americans are less likely to watch TV shows that address “ongoing political conversations”; 65 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 34 percent of Democrats agree.

• 41 percent say TV shows tend to represent a liberal perspective; 62 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of independents and 34 percent of Democrats agree.

• 28 percent say they are unsure about the ideological perspective of the shows; 19 percent of Republicans, 38 percent of independents and 25 percent of Democrats agree.

• 21 percent say the shows represent both ideologies equally; 13 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of independents and 29 percent of Democrats agree.

• 10 percent say the shows represent a conservative perspective; 7 percent of Republicans, 9 percent of independents and 13 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Morning Consult poll of 2,201 U.S. adults conducted March 8-10 and released Thursday.

• Have a nice holiday weekend and thanks for reading Inside the Beltway.