Mary kinda liked Mitt Romney, until she lost her job

[yortsed snacilbuper]

[behrstar]

1. Sad, but

I have to say, Mary strikes me as a typical low information voter. She "kinda liked" Mitt Romney (why???). She believed that he would "create jobs". Why? Because he said so?. People like Mary need to wake up, get some facts, and maybe, ya know, do a little research about the history of the parties and the individuals running for office.

[JackN415]

3. I agree with you and I think Obama's campaign fails with these people.

Last edited Thu Oct 25, 2012, 08:17 AM - Edit history (1)

I think you are expecting a little too much to ask people doing economic research. Read Paul Krugman's columns or Robert Reich's blogs. Ask them to compare EU's austerity plan and a worse GDP growth compared with the US Keynesian stimulus plan...

Too much to ask them.

It's Obama strategists' job to come up with something simpler and effective with people like her. If we decide to write off "low-info voters," then get ready to be hurt by them.

I think there is nothing can be done with racist voters, but some "low-info" voters can be won over.

This sounds critical with Obama's campaign, but as I try GOTV, I don't see any ad of the campaign that can counter Romney's message on people like these.

[JackN415]

2. There is this AP article this morning...

Last edited Thu Oct 25, 2012, 09:56 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-10-25/ap-poll-romney-erases-obama-advantage-among-women

Monica Jensen, a 55-year-old independent from Mobile, Ala., says she voted for Obama in 2008 but will shift her vote to Romney this time, largely because of the economy.

"I'm ready for a change," she said. "I want to see the economy go in a different direction."

One might think that the reporter makes up these stories. Who can believe a poll like this? Suddenly women shift alliance to Romney??? (I think it's erroneous). But until you talk with a monica jensen above, you might not realize these people exist. I did.

Crazy as it sounds:
1- We thought the DNC debunked the question "are you better off than you were 4 years ago?", well, Romney campaign transforms that into a simple stupid message:"the economy is bad, heading in a wrong direction, Americans are poorer, blah blah...Obama had 4 years and failed." It works!!! "KISS" (keep it simple stupid) works.

2- I think Obama's campaign did a great job of negativity on Romney, but underestimated this line of attack. It doesn't work on informed voters, but works well enough on some indecisive voters to make the race a lot closer than it should. May be just 1 or 2 %. But the race is being decided by 1 or 2%.

I talked with a woman just like this Monica Jensen. This woman doesn't care about Lehman Brothers collapse. Or trillion dollars deficit with 2 wars. All she cared was that her children, college-graduate grand children are struggled without job. She thought Obama had his chance, now it's Romney's turn.

I used this analogy: the country is like a person who was drugged and boozed excessively (Bush years) and gets very sick. Doctors have to detox the person. It takes time, the person is still sick, can't get up, but on the recovery. 4 years of Romney will be like put the patient back on drug and booze again and will kill the patient.

I don't know if it changes her vote or not. But really, there are people out there buying Romney's message at face value. And I fault Obama's campaign not effective in a message for these people.

==== edit ==
Here is the conversation I had with the woman: "4 years of Obama, in economic terms, is like 4 hours in a hospital, where the patient is on dialysis machine that cleans his blood, detoxes and put on IV to replenish fluid. Also it takes time for the medicine to work..." Voting for Romney is like someone walks in and say "my god, the guy is terrible, bed ridden, not like the way he partied and danced last night. Give him booze and drug again, he will dance and jump again!".

[ProudProgressiveNow]

4. K&R

Too sad.

[maddiemom]

5. Sadly, I think being a "low information voter" has less to do with education

than attention to politics and results. I've known some people with no more than a high school education who are surprisingly knowledgeable (most memorably a good old boy type who was a big Hillary Clinton fan, but also liked Obama next). Some highly educated professionals I know are too busy to pay much attention and just tend to vote for their usual (not necessarily Republican) party. An informed political discussion is nearly impossible, but they do register, with surprise, much of the information you would think "everyone" would know about the candidates.

[JackN415]

6. I agree with you totally. n/t

[olegramps]

7. How many of these workers who are laid off voted a Republican ticket?

I believe that it could send a powerful message to all working class voters if these people could be polled, perhaps without identifying them, as to their vote in the last election. It would be very interesting to hear why the voted the way they did. Just what were the major issues that trumped job protection. We they unaware that their jobs were in jeopardy? It seems to me that far too many only wakeup to the realities that are taking place when they find out that they are the latest victims.

[irisblue]

8. i would like to feel sympathy for many

but I can't. I know that I'll get people telling me to feel sympathy, forgiveness, compassion and what I'm feeling this woman is an idiot. she is an hourly employee, how is the heck did she consider that the republican party would give her a positive thought. low information voter my left knee.

[JackN415]

9. You know, I knew some like her.. very strange talking with them...

because they don't see what we see as inconsistency in their total outlook of life. It is all very logical to them.

[HopeHoops]

10. K&R