Democrat? Republican? Most people just want their Honey Boo Boo

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, TLC’s controversial reality show about a self-proclaimed redneck family and their Toddlers and Tiaras daughter, hit another ratings high Wednesday night. The fourth episode of Honey Boo Boo pulled in just shy of 3 million viewers at 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnight ratings, growing 30 percent from last week’s 2.3 million haul. In the demo, Honey Boo Boo did even better. The half-hour series’ showing among adults 18-49 bested all other cable outings for the night — including coverage of the Republican National Convention — to pull a 1.3 rating.

Ratings for the final two nights of the Republican convention were down quite a bit from 2008, declining by about 30 percent overall. The ratings decline should not really be a surprise. Whereas, in 2008, Senator John McCain announced his running mate, Sarah Palin, just a few days before the convention, making her a national sensation, Mitt Romney rolled out his choice of Representative Paul D. Ryan three weeks ago, perhaps limiting the buildup to Tampa, Fla. The convention was also shortened by, and had to compete with, Hurricane Isaac. And the security in and around Tampa was airtight, limiting protests and distractions — but perhaps also the spontaneity and newsworthiness of the event.