Focus group women like Warren's policies more than her

[brooklynite]

Axios

APPLETON, Wis. — Elizabeth Warren's left-wing populism is gaining popularity among some swing voters here, but they're not ready to embrace her for 2020.

Why it matters: In a small, all-women focus group, some participants suggested President Trump would win on personality if the contest was between him and Warren — and that their doubts about her aren't based on substance.

These were the main takeaways from our Engagious/FPG focus group last week, which included 7 women who flipped from Barack Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016, and 2 who switched from Mitt Romney to Hillary Clinton.

While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, these responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about the 2020 election in crucial counties.

The big picture: Most of the group preferred a left-leaning set of policies to a right-leaning set when no names were attached. But when listening to Warren talk about them in clips from the last debate, they were skeptical of her — and not because of the policies.

[DemocracyMouse]

1. If they liked her policies that's a pretty good thing in my book.

There's another 7 swing voters out there that find Warren far more likable than Mr. Narcissist and they too would probably like her well thought out plans to make capitalism work for everybody.

[Sherman A1]

4. I agree with your assemment

We are hopefully voting for a person based upon what we believe that their policies will produce to benefit both us as individuals and as a nation. It’s nice to like the person as well, but hardly an essential factor in my opinion.

[Lulu KC]

12. With you

This "like" thing makes me crazy, and I feel like the only one. I dislike thieves and liars in theory but have learned the hard way that they can be quite charming.

[DemocracyMouse]

28. Love Yang's universal basic income promotion. It WILL be utterly necessary

as automation keeps advancing.

But Yang needs to go one step further: We'll have to start SERIOUSLY educating people in the arts, movies, media, artisan crafts, teaching (in small, community-based classrooms) and sustainable artisan farming along with it. Those are the only industries the robots can't touch, and they will improve quality of life and give people a sense of meaning (without resorting to opioids). Seriously.

[Sherman A1]

29. From his policy page on UBI

UBI increases art production, nonprofit work and caring for loved ones because it provides a supplementary income for those interested in labor that isn’t supported by the market. https://www.yang2020.com/what-is-freedom-dividend-faq/

[JI7]

2. focus groups are usually attention whores and the lazy media uses them wayy too much because it's

easier than doing actual research and reporting on that.

[brooklynite]

5. Have you actually worked in market research? I have

The article acknowledges that it's not a scientific sample (like a poll) and it's not meant to be. A good Focus Group leader can still elicit themes reflective of popular opinion,.

[JI7]

6. yeah, we know it's popular among certain types to talk about how Warren isn't likable . usually by

certain types who would support trash like trump.

doesn't mean they aren't attention whores promoted by a lazy media.

[DrToast]

19. Nonsense....I guarantee you that every campaign uses focus groups

[BeyondGeography]

3. Vile quotes from random dreary people included

[dsc]

7. unfortunately sexism is one of the last acceptable isms

and note how she gets it in both directions. One person said she was a b word while another feared she would be a push over. I have no idea what the solution to this problem is but we better figure it out if we nominate a woman candidate. There are very few women who have been directly elected leaders of their country (as opposed to being elected as Prime Minister in a party system). I wish I knew the solution to this but I honestly don't.

[JI7]

8. we can start out by ridiculing these types

if someone finds Trump likable they are shit .

[marybourg]

9. I don't think it can be solved

until women have opportunities in life equal to their abilities and not limited by the need to care for families. Until then, women will always resent the minority of their sisters who have managed to overcome the limitations they all share.

[cwydro]

16. Yes, and I've seen it here.

[CTyankee]

11. But against whom?

A side by side comparison is what voters would be looking at. Trump is even more disgusting now than when we hadn't seen him in action during the 2016 election (well, some of us had).

Warren will not run in a vacuum. I agree there are policy differences that voters DO vote on, such as health care, and that is where Warren has to convince voters to vote for her.

IMO.

[Lulu KC]

14. She doesn't seem that way to me at all

but if I go back to high school and imagine the scene, I'd be very grateful for the mean librarian who confronts the bully.
I am amazed by how often women are characterized as some form of harsh when I contrast them against their male counterparts.

[cwydro]

15. A "mean librarian?"

Huh?

[cwydro]

13. "Trump would win on personality?" Wtf?

In what galaxy?

[DrToast]

17. Not too surprising....

And of course anyone that says she’s not that likable is called a sexist. Right on cue....

[DrToast]

18. Reminder that Warren is 4th in the "endorsement primary"

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-endorsements/democratic-primary/

And if you’re gonna blame it on sexism, Kamala Harris is second.

[BooScout]

20. Perhaps she should smile more.

[Uncle Joe]

21. This line stood out to me.

(snip)

The left: Imposing an annual 2% tax on every dollar of net worth above $50 million, and 3% on every dollar of net worth above $1 billion; taxing at 7% corporations with profits above $100 million; canceling $50,000 in student loan debt for every person with a household income under $100,000; and passing a Medicare for All plan and make large corporations and wealthy people pay for it.

The right: Building a border wall, banning citizens from certain countries from traveling to the U.S., imposing tariffs on goods coming from China and Mexico to force more favorable trade deals with the U.S., and weakening the Affordable Care Act to ultimately dismantle it.

7 of the 9 participants favored the left-leaning policies.

Of the 2 who preferred the right-leaning policies, one was a Clinton voter.

https://www.axios.com/elizabeth-warren-focus-group-wisconsin-swing-voters-f5d1d420-3076-4b49-99eb-fecfa93a97c2.html

Thanks for the thread brooklynite.

[thesquanderer]

22. I guess this is what Sanders is counting on. (n/t)

[DrFunkenstein]

23. Anxiety That Clinton's Loss Was Because She Was a Woman

Two things to keep in mind:

1) Clinton got more votes than anyone in US history, except Obama.

2) Clinton had long reputation going back to the early 90's with many people greatly - greatly - disliking her.

Warren's favorability numbers are actually very, very high.

[IronLionZion]

24. That gives me hope

The GOP smear machine hasn't been poisoning people against Warren yet. And I would hope a lot of voters will take things more seriously this time and set aside some of their prejudices.

[DrFunkenstein]

27. I feel better knowing the Pocohantas quip is dead in the water

Not only does it already sound tired, but Trump came into $413 million of his daddy's money by lying to Holocaust survivors about his "Swedish" heritage.

Clinton was unsure of how aggressive to be against Trump and came off as suspiciously tentative. Warren will have no such qualms. She's going to rip him a new one.

[Ace Rothstein]

25. Reading that article is another reminder of how fucked we are as a country.

[blm]

26. Bullshit writing - SOME Trump voters like Trump's personality more becomes the reason

for this article warning against Warren? What a load of bullshit.

[tman]

30. I've always felt Trump would beat Warren

Even more so lately. Just a bad feeling.

I don't think she'd drive up the African American vote or win enough swing voters to bridge that possible gap.

An uncomfortable truth - personality matters and you cannot rely on a contrast with even the grotesque Trump. We saw what happened in 2016.

People do not just vote on policy.