Voting For Obama Anyway: Tales From A Topsy-Turvy Focus Group

I just got an astounding e-mail from a Republican consultant I know well. He's a guy who's always thought Obama had a "glass jaw," and was always among those agitating for hitting Obama harder.

Recently, he conducted a focus group in an upper-Midwestern state, showing them the kind of ad he thought would work: A no-holds-barred attack, cut for an independent group, which hasn't aired.

I'm just going to reprint his amazed e-mail about the focus group:

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Whinger]

Heads up where the sun don't shine, ignorance should be made a crime!

[candlepower]

This is really interesting!!

It suggests that Obama's attacks on McCain have not been so effective and his success is based on the fact that people are so fed-up with the republicans.
With Obama it seems like his policies, and his presidential demeanor have been more effective than his attacks on McCain in gaining voter-trust.
those attacks are likely to have had more effect in irritating McCain and un-settling him rather than on the voters.
could it be that voters really don't like negative campaigning this year??!!!

There's a shock

[HatingTheGame]

The ironic thing is that everyone of those rabid McCain supporters have fantasies of blowing up some government building in their anger, resentment, and frustration. They are all McVey wannabes. They are angry. They have lone survivalist tendencies. They are NASCAR lovers.

My bet is that one, or some, of them will actually carry out their destructive fantasies. If not them, then some returning vet, like McVey, who snaps and sees a government (populated by people of color) who had sent them to hell, betrayed their trust, and now elect the very terrorizers whom they were sent to Iraq to kill.

The obsession with terrorism is creating terrorists in the making.

O's victor will be sweet. But I don't for a minute think that life is going to get easier.

[foxfan]

Obama is not a terrorist. He merely associates with one who used to be. We need to get over it.

[whit4brains]

Man, I love reading the comments over at Politico. Those right wing n.uts are hilarious!

[revko]

McCain pals around with Plumbers

[Gary47]

There is great. Things are going so well we're even winning the stupid vote!

[chronic]

These right wingers are the du_mbest on earth!

[vernonbc]

From Politico - "Well, I don't know much about this terrorist group Barack used to be in with that Weather guy "

The Repubs get more revolting by the minute. The guy is crowing about showing them an ad full of lies and that the group ate it up. By this woman's comment, I'll bet it was full of slimy stuff. It's criminal what the Repubs are doing.

[kotipup]

Okay, I have to share this: while canvassing for Obama a couple of weeks ago, I ran into a woman who was, at first "too busy" to talk to me. When I explained to her that I was a volunteer for the Obama campaign and wanted to be sure she was registered to vote, she then said she was registered Republican, had voted for Bush the last two terms, but wasn't sure about how she was going to vote this year. She then said she'd started hearing about "Obama, and Osama Bin Laden". Twenty minutes into our conversation, after lamenting about how the people residing on her street were probably now below poverty level, and wondering what was to be done with the immigrants who were "taking our jobs", but whose kids were "so cute", she professed she would probably be voting for "Bin Laden", and wondered where she could get a yard sign. I reminded her that the name was "Barack Obama" and directed her to the local Democratic headquarters for a sign. While mortified that a voter would confuse Barack Obama with Osama Bin Laden, as a person who feels pretty shy and questions my persuasive powers, I am impressed that I could somehow manage to convince someone to vote for "Bin Laden". Who knew??

[madeofsteel]

WOW

O_o

[BLinCincinnati]

Heh,

I work in Northern Kentucky, so there are a lot of redneck republicans that work in our shop. The one guy the other day said:

"Well, I can't stand Obama, he's thinks he's better than me. He hangs out with terrorists and he hates this country. But I just lost half my 401k and they just killed our overtime and mentioned layoffs. He's a damn socialist and wants to take from the rich to give to the poor, but I'm going to vote for him, cause I sure as hell ain't rich and I need the money... so I'll vote for him this time."

And that "my friends" is why John McCain is losing.... defending tax breaks for the rich, and not the middle class... while the market has tanked.

[FiveFortyOne]

Good stories. I always knew the hand-wringing about whether Obama's race would handicap him was overblown. Americans are practical people.

[Krikkit]

OMG!!! That was hilarious!

Always said election 2008 was gonna be the Democratic nominee against Bush no matter who the Republicans put up. These blue collar "more Target than Wallmart" voters just drive the point home.

This was always going to be a referendum against Bush and his failed policies and his power grabs and tromping on the Bill of Rights. Couldn't have gone any other way.

[Gary47]

Hey, this is the year that the Dems get the idiot vote. In addition to all the others.

[Krikkit]

Gawd, did you have to put it that way?

lol

[demfriend]

Ben Smith and Politico are what they are and I doubt the republican in Ben has encountered anyone who liked Obama which didn't make him think he was taking "crazy pills".

[Krikkit]

That wasn't Ben talking, but his Republican friend.

[XME]

Well, if there's one thing we can thank GWB for, it's for making Americans care MORE about what's best for them over smears (or race for that matter).

It's sad that these folks think such negative things about Obama, but I guess the good news is that they will probably be pleasantly suprised when they find out he really is NOT all those things the GOP has been trying to brainwash them with!

[Krikkit]

The good news is that Obama's administration will fix things up for them too, even if they always dislike him.

[jmpurser]

This is a stunning news article. 7 years after 9/11 and Americans (okay, not the brightest Americans) are saying they prefer to have terrorists running the country rather than republicans because the terrorists do less damage and might do some good.

I'm not surprised this is true, just surprised that people are becoming aware of it.

[Krikkit]

ROFLMAO!