Comments on: The Undecided http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-undecided n. the principle of good order<br /><br /> "Observe the strange inversion of all order and sense! Dignity debased; how vilely is the function of a consul prostituted!" ~The Craftsman Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:25:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steven Donegal http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16457 Steven Donegal Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:32:07 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16457 The infomercials were aimed at the "soft" yes votes as much as the undecideds. My wife watched it and said it was schmaltzy with little substance and the whole point was to make white people feel comfortable with Obama. Coupled with the appearance on the Daily Show, it all helps. The infomercials were aimed at the “soft” yes votes as much as the undecideds. My wife watched it and said it was schmaltzy with little substance and the whole point was to make white people feel comfortable with Obama. Coupled with the appearance on the Daily Show, it all helps.

]]> By: DaveA http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16456 DaveA Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:53:38 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16456 Rawshark, I don't think JtP/socialism stuff from McCain is aimed at undecideds. Really, their role is way overblown right now. If history holds, the undecideds will end up breaking about 50/50, and in any event in some surveys there aren't enough undecideds left to make a difference. What McCain is trying to do is peel off weak Obama supporters among conservative white working class Dems (aka "Reagan Democrats"). Thus we get JtP, an alleged illustration of how Obama will take money from working whites and allegedly give it to people who don't pay any taxes. Gee, wonder who those lazy shiftless types are, eh? Rawshark, I don’t think JtP/socialism stuff from McCain is aimed at undecideds. Really, their role is way overblown right now. If history holds, the undecideds will end up breaking about 50/50, and in any event in some surveys there aren’t enough undecideds left to make a difference. What McCain is trying to do is peel off weak Obama supporters among conservative white working class Dems (aka “Reagan Democrats”). Thus we get JtP, an alleged illustration of how Obama will take money from working whites and allegedly give it to people who don’t pay any taxes. Gee, wonder who those lazy shiftless types are, eh?

]]> By: rawshark http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16444 rawshark Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:41:03 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16444 'If most undecided voters watched Obama’s infomercial, this profile suggests that many will probably have come away with a favorable impression. ' And that's the only goal. Undecideds are white people who don't know if they want to vote for a black man to be president. Listen to Rush, Savage, Palin, they are all trying to make white people uncomfortable with voting for a black man. Check out 'Joe' the 'plumber', why do you think he's on stage yelling out his crap about Al Qadea and socialism? Certainly not because there is any truth to it. It's scare tactics. Obama is just working the other side now. Letting people know he's a normal guy who doesn't hate America and isn't going to turn us into an Islamocommienazimuslim fantast land. ‘If most undecided voters watched Obama’s infomercial, this profile suggests that many will probably have come away with a favorable impression. ‘

And that’s the only goal. Undecideds are white people who don’t know if they want to vote for a black man to be president. Listen to Rush, Savage, Palin, they are all trying to make white people uncomfortable with voting for a black man. Check out ‘Joe’ the ‘plumber’, why do you think he’s on stage yelling out his crap about Al Qadea and socialism? Certainly not because there is any truth to it. It’s scare tactics. Obama is just working the other side now. Letting people know he’s a normal guy who doesn’t hate America and isn’t going to turn us into an Islamocommienazimuslim fantast land.

]]> By: Young Geezer http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16425 Young Geezer Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:16:08 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16425 48% of presently undecided voters voted in the primaries this year? That seems like a rather high number for people who allegedly don't pay attention to politics. 48% of presently undecided voters voted in the primaries this year?

That seems like a rather high number for people who allegedly don’t pay attention to politics.

]]> By: tblain1 http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16419 tblain1 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:41:39 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16419 If by this point voters are "undecided" do we really think they are going to vote? We know in this country there is a great perccentage of the population that does not turn out. I would imagine this great percentage is mostly made up of these undecideds and then a few apathetics who know who they want, but are either too lazy or too jaded to make that 10 minute trip out to the voting booth. BTW Daniel, that point about pollster's being tricked is exactly why I still do not buy into any polls these days. Yes as I have said for the past few months, even with mounds of evidence telling me otherwise, I still think McCain will be our next president. However, I think with all the gaffes that have been made along the way (VP candidate selection being cheif) I have come down from my stance that "I definitely think he'll win." To "I think he has a slight edge." My Obama-has a chanc-meter has risen for sure, but I'm still skeptical. If by this point voters are “undecided” do we really think they are going to vote? We know in this country there is a great perccentage of the population that does not turn out. I would imagine this great percentage is mostly made up of these undecideds and then a few apathetics who know who they want, but are either too lazy or too jaded to make that 10 minute trip out to the voting booth.

BTW Daniel, that point about pollster’s being tricked is exactly why I still do not buy into any polls these days. Yes as I have said for the past few months, even with mounds of evidence telling me otherwise, I still think McCain will be our next president. However, I think with all the gaffes that have been made along the way (VP candidate selection being cheif) I have come down from my stance that “I definitely think he’ll win.” To “I think he has a slight edge.”

My Obama-has a chanc-meter has risen for sure, but I’m still skeptical.

]]> By: tenaciousd http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16408 tenaciousd Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:18:22 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16408 One more point: Maybe the only difference between decided and undecided voters--at least as far as mainstream candidates go--is that decided voters simply "give it up" too easily. Someone should do a study to see if the issued identified by undecided voters (or identified for them by pollsters) leads to an increased policy reponse to what it is they (or the politicians think they) care about. They say the meek shall inherit the Earth. One more point: Maybe the only difference between decided and undecided voters–at least as far as mainstream candidates go–is that decided voters simply “give it up” too easily. Someone should do a study to see if the issued identified by undecided voters (or identified for them by pollsters) leads to an increased policy reponse to what it is they (or the politicians think they) care about. They say the meek shall inherit the Earth.

]]> By: tenaciousd http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16407 tenaciousd Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:11:09 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16407 Of course, you're upholding a real double standard vs. decided voters. Do decided voters care how Obama plans to pay for "all his new policy proposals"? Of course, not. Did anyone care Bush was paying for anything? No. We already know how they are going to pay for it all. With debt in the hope that some future economic boom will make it easy to pay down. All the electoral evidence shows that voters will punish fiscal prudence. See the example of Bill Clinton. He cut social programs and curtailed his own agenda to leave a surplus that Bush used for tax cuts for the rich. Obama would be a sucker to do the same. Also, I think you overlook the primal, power politics aspect of the infomercial. Sure, undecided probably didn't watch it, but they probably knew it was going to be on. And, that registered with them as the ort of flattery they know they are looking for from a candidate. Reagan was the first president to prove that flattery and a big smile will get you everything in politics. No more gruff Dick Nixon or dour Jimmy Carter, that's for sure. Hard choices are for losers. Our current political era is merely taking Reagan's style to the logical extreme. Of course, you’re upholding a real double standard vs. decided voters. Do decided voters care how Obama plans to pay for “all his new policy proposals”? Of course, not. Did anyone care Bush was paying for anything? No. We already know how they are going to pay for it all. With debt in the hope that some future economic boom will make it easy to pay down. All the electoral evidence shows that voters will punish fiscal prudence. See the example of Bill Clinton. He cut social programs and curtailed his own agenda to leave a surplus that Bush used for tax cuts for the rich. Obama would be a sucker to do the same. Also, I think you overlook the primal, power politics aspect of the infomercial. Sure, undecided probably didn’t watch it, but they probably knew it was going to be on. And, that registered with them as the ort of flattery they know they are looking for from a candidate. Reagan was the first president to prove that flattery and a big smile will get you everything in politics. No more gruff Dick Nixon or dour Jimmy Carter, that’s for sure. Hard choices are for losers. Our current political era is merely taking Reagan’s style to the logical extreme.

]]> By: Howard J. Harrison http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/comment-page-1/#comment-16406 Howard J. Harrison Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:09:58 +0000 http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2008/10/30/the-undecided/#comment-16406 Daniel: <em>Undecided voters trick pollsters and political writers with their traditional complaints that the candidates are not “specific enough,” when specificity and wonkery are the last things they want. These voters have standard responses that they use when they are talking to pollsters, journalists and focus group leaders. We’ve heard them all. They say, “They’re just saying the same old things” or “it’s just politics as usual” or “they’re not talking about what matters to me.”</em> Good point, and nicely put. Daniel:

Undecided voters trick pollsters and political writers with their traditional complaints that the candidates are not “specific enough,” when specificity and wonkery are the last things they want. These voters have standard responses that they use when they are talking to pollsters, journalists and focus group leaders. We’ve heard them all. They say, “They’re just saying the same old things” or “it’s just politics as usual” or “they’re not talking about what matters to me.”

Good point, and nicely put.

]]>