Friday, November 27, 2009

Nation & World

Washington Whispers by Paul Bedard

Undecided Voters Getting Tired Of Obama Change Message

August 25, 2008 06:17 PM ET | Paul Bedard | Permanent Link | Print

After spending two hours Sunday with undecided Denver area voters who participated in a focus group hosted by AARP's Divided We Fail campaign, one thing is clear: Voters want more from Sen. Barack Obama than talk of change.

Now they want to hear what Obama wants to do and how he will pay for it. The focus group, conducted by long-time pollster and wordsmith Frank Luntz, found a shift among voters who have yet to pick between Obama and Sen. John McCain. As he polled them, most said that they now put the issue of accountability over change. Luntz's recommendation to both Obama and McCain: Stop asking questions and start answering them.

"They aren't going to be spun by simple platitudes," says Luntz, seen in the picture wearing a red tie. Candidates need to "ask a rhetorical question and answer it."

Luntz showed the group ads from both campaigns, and in the end the undecideds appeared to like the McCain approach more, even including his retort to Obama's slam on the Republican's inability to remember how many homes he owns.

In the end, Luntz says that most undecideds will likely make up their mind during the presidential debates when the candidates finally go up against each other to lay out their presidential plans. "The reality," says Luntz, "is that they've got some kind of hang-up with both of them."

Tags: AARP | Democrats | presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama | Democratic National Convention

Tools: Share | | Comments (13) | Print

advertisement

Subscribe Today

U.S. News Weekly promotional image, for Washington Whispers

Want Your Whispers First?

Get the original Washington Whispers in an all new digital form. Check out U.S. News Weekly today.

advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Sign up today for the latest headlines from U.S. News & World Report delivered to you free.

RSS FEEDS

Personalize your U.S. News with our feeds of blogs and breaking news headlines.

U.S. NEWS MOBILE

U.S. News daily briefings are also available on your mobile device.

Bobbles Poll: Thanksgiving Guest

Obama, Huckabee, Palin and Pelosi Bobbleheads, Washington Whispers

It's time to start filling up the Thanksgiving dinner guest list. Which political figure would you like as a guest?

View Results

Put Washington Whispers on Your Site

Keep up with all the latest Washington news and gossip by adding our Washington Whispers widget to your website.

Get this widget ยป

Twitter and Facebook

facebook and twitter icons

Whispers on the Web

Friend Paul on Facebook.

Follow Paul on Twitter.

Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
Make USNews.com your home page.