Poll: Will CNBC Wither or Shine in the Spotlight?

I was all set to write a post about whether the recent slings and arrows directed at CNBC -- over Rick Santelli's outburst, Jim Cramer's blown calls, Larry Kudlow's overheated rhetoric, etc. -- will ultimately prove a good or bad thing for the network. Then I realized I have no freaking idea.

It seems obvious to me that being considered authoritative in the realm of cable news has a lot more to do with having a sonorous voice and good researchers and never backing down in a shouting match than it does with being right. But is CNBC a special case? After all, the network's high ad rates depend on its ability to attract an audience of high-income financial professionals, not bored college kids who tune in to see what Jon Stewart was making such a big fuss about. Will Wall Street guys stop tuning in if they think Cramer has become a punch line? Or will they agree with him that he's a victim of unfair sound-bite selection?

Again, I truly have no idea. The only thing I know for sure is that "Cramer vs. Not Cramer: Basic Cable Personality Clash Skirmish '09!" has been a resounding success for The Daily Show. The clip of Stewart flogging CNBC's lowlights is the show's biggest online hit of the year, with 1.3 million views and counting. And you can be pretty sure Cramer's guest appearance tonight will be another big draw.

Okay, help me out here: