Undecideds as focus group is bs..anyone who hasn't made up their mind at this point is braindead or

[xiamiam]

lying...I just dont understand how they even find that many undecided voters given the past eight years and the choices we have...undecided voters at this point need to be given eight years of reading homework before they are given their ballot...

[earth mom]

1. Did you ever stop to think that some undecideds may be considering 3rd party votes?

I'd bet those people are more informed than you are.

:eyes:

[melody]

3. Not if they're voting for a third party

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

4. Then The OP Point Still Stands. Those Considering 3rd Party Are Dumber Than Dumb.

[earth mom]

6. Yeah a sheep like you would say that.

:eyes:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. Sheep ROFLMAO! Those Considering 3rd Party Are Mosquitoes. Highly Annoying And Overall Useless.

Dumbest bloc of voters that exist.

[earth mom]

18. No, brainwashed people such as yourself who watch teevee and Faux news all day are what's wrong

with this country.

:puke:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

24. Strong Democrats Like Myself Are NOT What Is Wrong With This Country.

Those who are ignorant to political ramifications are. And there is no voting bloc more ignorant or moronic than those who vote 3rd party. Bunch of total moronic jackasses they are.

[Donnachaidh]

11. listen to all this blathering

try to get the bleating in unison. It's far less painful on the ears of the real thinkers. :eyes:

[xiamiam]

7. lol..ya think so?

[Super62]

2. It makes you wonder

I have heard that the number of undecideds at this point, compared to other elections, is at it's lowest point ever. Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way!

[HarveyBrooks]

5. I know...

two people that have made it clear they will govern in fundamentally different ways and there are people that can't decide who they're for? Happens every election but it's still mind boggling!

[Jacobin]

8. I agree. On the whole, they tend to be the least knowledgeable

and the least engaged about policy issues.

There are exceptions, of course, but I think you are right in general.

Which makes for a pretty bad focus group or audience in a debate

[Aloha Spirit]

9. Possible explanations for an undecided voter..

NEED MORE INFO:
Like the dude on CNN who said he just wants to know how much Obama's health plan would cost him. I know this, since I have the info. So... issues could be
-no internet access. After all, not a ton of info comes out through evening news or debates. Many speeches and proposals I have read on da Internet.
-no cable access. no pundits to massage us into one of the candidate's corners

PARTY RESISTORS:
-Democrats who resist voting for Obama because of prejudice or bad impressions from Wright or something that they cannot get past. People who don't trust him. It's not just his half-blackness here. I think some older voters think he looks too young. And his generation didn't go through a draft, so people can't assess his patriotism that way, the way older voters are used to doing. (And Clinton did NOT get a majority of the votes in 1992.)
-Republicans who lost the faith for whatever reason. I can't pretend to understand Republicans... but Peggy Noonan is one of those undecided voters who will probably end up voting against her party, not because they don't trust McCain, but because they don't think he's up to the challenge.

[Sanity Claws]

10. In my mind, there are two types of undecideds

One is the traditional Republican who can't stomach what the current Repubs have done to their party and think that McCain won't return the party to its traditional roots. They just haven't made the shift to the Democrats yet.
The other is the traditional Democrat who is a bit racist. These people have an automatic reflex against voting for a black man. However, they don't like McCain and what the Republicans have done to the country. They need more and more information.
Just my two cents.

[madokie]

12. I seen one of my old friends last weekend and he said he hadn't made up his mind yet

I said yea sure dude, sure you haven't. No way if you are paying attention that there would be any choice to make, at that point I said my see you laters, turned and went on my way. screw him if he doesn't know yet

[Donnachaidh]

13. nice way to talk about your neighbors

So basically - if they don't jump on a bandwagon as quickly and mindlessly as you that gives you the right to badmouth them? How very BIG TENT of you. :puke:

[xiamiam]

15. yeah the last eight years have been quick ..gitmo, iraq, failed economy...

just zipped by..NOT...

quickly and mindlessly jumped on the bandwagon?...you have got to be kidding me...

[taddles]

25. Jump on the band wagon?!?

This campaign has been going on for 19 months, anyone with Bush's curiosity would know more about these two candidates than they do about their own family. Your comment is ridiculous.

Anyone who is still "undecided" at this time has issues other than information about the candidates. Saying that they are somehow still not informed enough is bullshit. If you can't be bothered to read a newspaper, spend 5 minutes on the internet or even talk to a neighbor than you really shouldn't be allowed to vote let alone be part of a political debate panel.

There wasn't a single question asked last night that couldn't have been answered with a quick perusal of either candidates website. If you're too dam lazy to do something as simple as read a little bit about the candidates than you should go the fuck away and quite wasting real concerned citizens time.

[Sal Minella]

29. "Jumping on bandwagon" is very different from "Understanding what's going on in US and worldwide."

[Warpy]

16. Someone I talked to last night made a great point

Most of the "undecided" are people who have been voting GOP out of habit but who are trying to talk themselves into voting for Obama because the GOP has screwed everything up so badly.

[leveymg]

17. Many "Undecided" are discouraged GOP & those trying to cause errors in polls

Take this joker reported by TPM Muckraker in 2004: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/149011.php

Josh Marshall

Did CNN get scammed by an 'undecided voter' who happens also to be a big muckety-muck in his campus branch of College Republicans? Take a look.

Does someone at CNN have a response they can send in about this?

By the way, I'd be happy to come on as an undecided voter too ...

Friday, October 01, 2004
CNN's "undecided" voter is actually a patriot

I needed to calm down after George drove the John Deere into my bedroom yesterday, so I kicked on CNN. I find American Morning very reassuring. A few minutes of Bill Hemmer, Heidi Collins, and Jack Cafferty telling me that Our Leader is boldly and resolutely handling the challenges facing America is all the tonic I need to put me in a proper frame of mind for the rest of the day.

Early in the program, Mr. Hemmer interviewed three undecided Florida voters about their hopes for last night's debate. The fact that at least two of the three seemed to be fairly intelligent made me wonder just how undecided they really were--after all, you'd have to be a complete idiot to be unable to choose between one of the candidates by now.

I found it more than a bit curious that one of undecideds, Edward Martos, is a graduate student in public administration at the University of Miami. Public administration? You'd think that he'd certainly be a bit more informed about politics and public policy that the average guy. How could he still be undecided?

After a little googling, I learned that Mr. Martos seems to be leading a double life. While claiming to be the politically independent president of a non-partisan campus group called the Council for Democracy, he is also very involved with the College Republicans, having served on committees to draft the UMCR constitution and organize a veterans memorial committee. He has also served as the Assistant Editor in Chief for the CR newsletter, Eye On Politics.

"Perhaps," I thought, "there are two Edward Martoses attending UM," but then I learned that the College Republican Edward Martos promoted Council for Democracy events at College Republican meetings. Certainly, it's the same guy.

The picture sealed it for me. The College Republican Edward Martos is the guy I saw on CNN. He's supposed to be on again this morning. Watch it and see for yourself.

Edward Martos is my new hero. He's been able to fool a lot of people, including Bill Hemmer, into believing that he's an independent when he's actually a GOP foot soldier and patriot. He'll go far in a party that reveres Karl Rove.

[marions ghost]

19. I think most people have made up their minds

the ones who say they're waiting for something to help them decide really are not seriously paying attention to politics. They're waiting for a message from their personal sponsor.


I think "I haven't decided" is a cover-up for either:


I can't admit I'm voting Democratic (and therefore am a traitor to my repug friends and family)

I can't admit I won't vote for a Black guy

I can't admit I WILL vote for a loser like McCain

I'm in love with Sarah Barracuda

[EOTE]

20. Damn douchenozzles and tiger petters!

I agree. If you've been conscious these past 8 years and haven't made up your mind yet, you're a moron. If you've been conscious these past 8 years and you want to vote for McCain, you're a moron and an asshole.

[LeftHander]

21. Guy on NPR report was lying...

He said he was undecided lean toward Obama then did and about face...giving some very pat, GOP talking points in saying he was now for McCain...

I call bullshit on NPR....

[taddles]

26. That's called a plant.

I think it was summed up nicely last night that the "undecideds" are either a) moran douchnozzles or b) partisan plants.

[Strelnikov_]

28. Agreed.

Why wasn't he also keeping track of how many times McCain disagreed with GOP policies of the last 8 years.

Obama outlined no detailed solutions, where McCain offered detailed solutions?

A plant.

[dajoki]

22. I agree...

They are either stupid, lying or just like the attention!!

[SteelPenguin]

23. My Experience with Undecideds (particularly at this late stage)

If you're undecided with less than a month left to the election I think it's primarily....

a) People who generally don't have the brainpower to actually even attempt to understand the issues at hand and whose eyes glaze over if you actually start talking about policy differences. They vote on who they are most comfortable with. It's impossible to have a discussion with them on the issues.

b) People who think both parties are corrupt and lying from their core, and their process is more one of elimination of who seems the least evil to them. If you talk to them about the issues, they'll point out where both parties are lying and distorting the truth, and how they don't believe any of their promises. They might agree with Obama, they might not, but it doesn't matter. They dont' believe a word that either candidate says.

c) People with the brainpower to understand, don't think the parties are inherently evil, but just don't really care or think their vote matters much so don't really pay attention. They're capable of having a discussion about the issues, but they're ignorant of many details, and may even be surprised with different items. They vote like they do their taxes. Barring any major story, they wait till election day morning, check out a few websites, and a couple articles in the paper, make up their mind in many ways like person a, but with more policy issues in play (but only barely).

[gatorboy]

27. I want to ask, "Are you people waiting for a foot massage from the candidates or something???"

Cause it's not gonna happen. :rofl:

[Fire1]

30. I came to that conclusion last night. As those 'so called'

independs were being interviewed, I could tell which ones were going to vote conservative or liberal. They were lying like a rug!