Bush support softens in middle

[JoFerret]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=usatoday/bushsupportsoftensinmiddle

The dozen independent-minded voters sitting around the table here Tuesday night are the face of trouble for President Bush (


Seven of them voted for him in 2000; all 12 are middle-of-the-road folks who sometimes back Republicans, sometimes Democrats. But as the president campaigns for re-election, only four say they are leaning in his direction. None describe their support as rock-solid.

An improving economy? They don't feel it. ....

And Iraq?

"I want to scream, 'Get out! Get out!' " says John Franz, also 53, the supervisor at a blood-donation center who voted for Democrat Al Gore in 2000 and is inclined to support John Kerry this year. "It's a no-win situation there."


The non-partisan Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania invited these voters to a market research firm in a suburban strip mall to discuss their views of the presidential candidates, the direction of the country and the issues that will determine their votes. The focus group, led by veteran Democratic pollster Peter Hart, was convened at a key moment in the campaign: just after Kerry chose a running mate and as both parties prepare for their national conventions.


The two hours of talk on a steamy evening underscores the perils for Bush in Ohio, a state he won by 4 percentage points in 2000.
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[QC]

1. Be sure to vote!

:kick:

[Barrett808]

2. I want to scream, 'Get out! Get out!' to the squatter in the White House

In addition to the Iraq debacle.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Heh heh

Good one!

[Barrett808]

10. Guess I'm not in "the middle" n/t

[Beetwasher]

4. Yup, Bad News For Chimpy!

Don't listen to the media, this should not be a close race, though they will keep telling you it is...It's all a cover story...

[KurtNYC]

16. Victory is inevitable

the more we can create that feeling the better.

Here is one line of attack: "The GOP is desperately to get some of their legislation passed before Kerry takes over in January."

[onehandle]

5. Nice stuff!

Everyone should read the whole article. So long, smirk.

[Mz Pip]

6. This should be one of those

"Fool me once..." moments. I remember during the primaries in 2000 how Right Wing Bush was. Then after he got the nomination he got his base to sit on their hands, ignore what he was saying and be patient. Then he ran to the middle fooling all those moderates who weren't paying attention in the primaries.


He will do this again. He will use the GOP convention to trot out every moderate Repug he can find, just like he trotted out that Black Congressman from OK last time to show what an inclusive party the GOP was.

Fool me once...

MzPip
:dem:

[BrotherBuzz]

7. I made a soufflŽ that was soft in the middle...

and it collapsed.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. If I were a Bush partisan . . .

If I were a Bush partisan, I would probably complain about the way Bush is spending too much time preaching to the choir. The neocons are probably so full of themselves they don't realize that many people either think they're just plain wrong or, at the best, have doubts about their approach to foreign affairs and the economy.

This is shaping up to be one bizarre, uninformative election campaign. Bush doesn't offer anything worthwhile and spends his time spinning his wheels saying things that have already been refuted.

Meanwhile, Kerry has made only modest advances in the polls. This may change, but for now he's content to kick back and watch Bush hang himself. When it changes, if Bush doesn't do more than he's doing, Kerry will take off like a rocket.

[AndyTiedye]

13. He's Preaching to the Choir because the Choir is All He Needs

He isn't expecting to win the election, he intends to steal/usurp again.

[Jack Rabbit]

15. Possibly, but . . .

. . . I'm sure he'd like to win it honestly if he could.

And if it's beyond fixing, there's no way he can steal it (by definition). The way he stole it in 2000 left him with at least a fig leaf of creditibility. He needs it.

[Rainbowreflect]

9. And bush supporters are soft in the head.

IMHO

[Merlin]

11. Tends to vindicate the Shields Theory

Mark Shields insists JK will win because he knows many who voted for Bush in 2000 and will not do so in 2004, but he has heard of nobody who voted against Bush in 2000 who will vote for him in 2004.

I have had the same anecdotal experience.

[bushisanidiot]

12. AWOL pays his advisors to blow smoke up his ass with their "polls"

but the repukes will feel the REAL shock and awe when they lose in a LANDSLIDE in November

[yellowcanine]

14. I heard he wasn't able to keep up his running but didn't realize it had

gotten that bad. (good photoshop opportunity for someone to insert a picture to go with my caption).