America's Presidential Idol.

[illinoisprogressive]

Chuck Todd has a fascinating article on a focus group from Baltimore asked about the candidates and what they want in one.
the group only had 12 people but, they were a cross section of repubs, indies and dems.
Answers were insightful and surprising as the people are just regular people.

thehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18824957/


First, some of the big take-aways from the session:

* The group was more interested in a presidential candidate who provided a vision and leadership rather than one who had real-world experience. Hence, the very positive support for both Giuliani and Obama.
* The group seemed torn between wanting a candidate who provided hope and a candidate who made them feel safe. These folks aren’t happy with the country right now (thanks mostly to Iraq), but want to feel good again… BUT, they are still nervous about terrorism and still yearning for safety. In fact, Democratic strategists should take note of this single fact: When the 12 were asked to pick the potential president they viewed as the "safest" choice, 10 of the 12 picked Republican candidates (4 Rudy, 4 John McCain, 2 Mitt Romney, 1 John Edwards and 1 Obama). At least among these 12 voters, Republicans STILL get the benefit of the doubt on safety and security.
* The longer a candidate has been on the national stage, the less appealing they were to these folks. Clinton, McCain and Edwards all didn’t do very well and, frankly, it’s probably because they aren’t seen as "fresh" or "new."
* It’s amazing the benefit of the doubt that is given to both Obama and Giuliani. The less they know, the better? Possibly so.

Heavy negatives
Now, let’s dig into the details a bit for each candidate.

Recent NBC/WSJ Polls (pdf files)

Apr. 25, 2007
Mar. 7, 2007
Jan. 22, 2007
Dec. 13, 2006
Oct. 18, 2006
Oct. 3, 2006

Sept. 13, 2006
July 26, 2006
June 14, 2006
April 24, 2006
March 15, 2006
Jan. 30, 2006

The other big news from this focus group, beyond the very positive initial response for Obama and Giuliani, is the very negative reaction they had toward Clinton. If these 12 folks are truly a cross-section of the electorate, then Hillary Clinton has a LOT of work to do. Eight of the 12 said they could not support her under any circumstance and seven of the 12 said she has the "furthest to go" in winning their trust. The word "cold" was tossed around a few times by a Democrat and an independent member of the panel. In fact, when asked to give one word or phrase that comes to mind when they heard her name, the only positive adjective used was "determined." The rest of the responses were negative. By the way, Hart asked for adjectives on Bill Clinton and the responses were just as negative, with only a couple offering a positive expression.

Obama clearly was the "hot" candidate as far as this group was concerned. He was the candidate a plurality wanted to meet with personally -- more so than Giuliani or Clinton. And when asked, early on, (before information on each candidate was introduced), who they wanted as the next POTUS (President of the United States), Obama came out on top, with 5 votes, compared to 3 for Giuliani, 2 for Clinton and 1 each for McCain and Edwards. When asked what word or phrase comes to mind when Obama was mentioned by name, just one negative was used - "inexperienced." The rest of the adjectives were positive - "charismatic, smart, articulate, potential, independent and excitable" (It seemed to me the person was trying to say exciting).

[AlCzervik]

1. ok i'm just going to say this because it's been bothering for a very long time-

the whole "keep me safe" question is ridiculous, no one single person or entity can keep ou us safe so that question to me is about as relevant as who i want to have a beer with.

We need a President that has an actual plan for foreign policy, one that doesn't involve trying to conquer and democratize the middle east, we need a president that can rebuild our relationships with the rest of the world and maybe the rest of the world would not hate us as much.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. The keeping safe comes from years of daily fear mongering. To make it

stop and for people to see reason and that this is totally stupid is to finally break the bush/cheney hold.
They talk fear and fear. No one person keeps anyone safe. It takes the work of all the unsung heroes of everyday like the police, the FBI, ect.
people on the gound.
Not someone who just talks fear to control

[LBJDemocrat]

3. It's pushed by the media

And that voters buy into it, sending hundreds of thousands to Iraq risking amputation and death, so that they're kept safe - that's pathetic. It's gutless, and it's a stain on the history of this country.

Meanwhile, GE, Lockheed, Boeing, Halliburton, General Dynamics, Blackwater, and the rest of them stuff their pockets.