Undecided in Memphis

 

First posted at WashingtonTimes.com

MEMPHIS — I spent last night with a group of debate watchers who ended the evening with opinions unchanged from how they felt when it began.

 

It was an interesting group, mostly lawyers from Memphis, brought together at a party with a red, white and blue donkey and elephant cake (quite delicious) and sure to stay friends after the debate.

 

I had this story on today's front page:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. | Sen. Barack Obama may have lost some support when he said people earning $250,000 or more were rich, but Friday's first presidential debate changed few minds among a mixed group of voters.

"I'm completely conflicted, I really have no idea what I'm going to do," Anne Tipton, a Memphis attorney, said before the 90-minute debate started.

And after?

"If I went into the voting booth tomorrow I'd just have to stay in there," she said.

Mike Scholl, an attorney who hosted the debate watch party at his home, did not like it when the Democratic presidential nominee defined wealthy people.

"I know a lot of guys who make that much as small business owners like me, and I wouldn't consider them rich," he said. "It's not rich by any stretch of the imagination once you pay taxes."

But he still can't make up his mind.

"I felt like it was sort of half and half, it didn't really help me," he said.

 

Read the full story here.

 

One fascinating element I didn't get to mention much in the story because it happened after deadline - David Plouffe's "persuasion army" I've written quite a bit about was out in full force.

 

In particular, two Obama volunteers at the party worked to convince Scholl why Obama's tax plans are better for the middle class. They seemed confident they had done their job, and pointed to several people at the party they said had gone from undecided to Obama voters.

 

At the party I met a team from Brooklyn who have been traveling the nation for a coffee table book about grassroots Obama supporters. Check out the site, their work is quite impressive.

 

Here's Stephen Dinan's story summing up the debate.

 

I'm sitting on the tarmac on Obama's plane before a busy day of campaigning.

 

We're heading first to North Carolina for a rally with Sen. Joe Biden and then we'll be in Fredericksburg for an evening rally.

 

Stay tuned for post-debate spin.

 

— Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter,
The Washington Times

 

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Comments

[thoughtful3]

09:41 PM on 09/27/2008

Don't believe this "undecided voter" farce. There are no undecided voters. They are unreported McCain voters. I know it's frustrating, but this is the reality of our country. Therefore, we absolutely must turn out our new voters! Please, please, please, donate to and volunteer for the Obama campaign as much as you possibly can. Don't waste time working on the unreasonable, unreachable people. They can't see past their hate. We've got to get out the ones with open minds and open hearts. There's enough of us (even if it's barely) that we will prevail--but only if we act!

[mie2cents]

07:57 PM on 09/27/2008

Undecided at this point in the game? Wow. Here are a couple of tips for those undecides: (1) vote on the three issues (e.g., economy, healthcare, energy, etc.) most important to you and your family; (2) research each candidates positions and voting record on those issues; (3) vote on what's best for you, your loved ones and America; and (4) don't vote on party affiliation. That simple!!!

[obamamomma2]

11:54 AM on 09/27/2008

I used to live in Memphis and it's really simple........If your white, you vote Republican; if your black, you vote Democrat. There are no "undecided" voters!

[dignityandhonor]

11:46 AM on 09/27/2008

Gotta agree with "respectingothers" - if you are making $250K, you make a bundle. If you are feeling a financial squeeze at that level, you are over-extending. Isn't median income in this country around $45k?

[respectingothers]

10:55 AM on 09/27/2008

of course they don't think of themselves as rich, that's because it's all relative. which is exactly what makes an annual income of $250,000 out of the reach of the vast majority of middle class americans.

[BobsNotWorking]

11:58 AM on 09/27/2008

$250k is five time what I earn as a sole proprietor and my income is equal to, or greater, than anyone in my extended family - including my adult children who all have very good jobs. None are professionals, but their jobs are good ones. One a legal secretary, one a management level pricing analysts for a major international shipping company, one a federally licensed import-export broker for a major international firm and another a IT professional for an international publishing firm. Most of their salaries are similar to my income. All together we probably earn about $250k total. For those individuals who earn $250k by themselves - guess what? You're rich!

[mommadona]

10:40 AM on 09/27/2008

Then, if these were all lawyers, it just proves all that education doesn't add a LICK of common sense amongst them.

You didn't mention the racial breakdown.....Memphis..mmm..Tennessee....let's THINK here....

Oh, I didn't know we couldn't talk about THAT.

[restoreamerica]

11:40 AM on 09/27/2008

Mommadona:

If you go to the full story and expand the picture in the upper right, you can see eleven people. At least 9 of these appear to be "white". The other two the "race" is not clear do to obstructions. I can't be sure if this sample is an accurate indication of the racial makeup of the group or not, but it is compelling.

Yes, the city proper is predominately black approx 60-40, but still largely segregated by neighborhood and class.

Please tell me... Do people with a "LICK" of common sense vote for Obama or McCain?? This was not clear in your post.

[Christina Bellantoni]

02:01 PM on 09/28/2008

Hi there - you are correct. The group at the party (about 30-40 people) was at least 90% white and the breakdown seemed to be about two-thirds Obama supporters, a handful of McCain supporters and the rest "undecided."