== Undecided? Really? = By Mark Morford

[madokie]

Who the hell are you? Are you evil? Are you Jesus?

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/10/22/notes102208.DTL&nl=fix

I'm told it is sometimes helpful to project outside yourself, to mess with your own ideological boundaries, to attempt, however exasperatingly and however much it makes you want to hose yourself down with the cool fire of intellectual clarity afterwards, to enter the minds of your enemies, or those with whom you merely disagree, or -- perhaps most challenging of all -- with those whose mental gyrations you simply cannot fathom in the slightest.

Behold, the Undecideds. Have you heard of this bizarre, nefarious group? The millions of faceless, slow-blinking, mentally unattached Americans who are, right this minute, with mere days to go before the most historic election in our lifetime and when faced with what seems to be the most glaringly obvious divisions of attitude and perspective you could possibly imagine, still "on the fence" about Obama or McCain, love or hate, country or disco, Paris or Fresno, oil or water, Porsche or Pinto?

Do you know anyone from this group? Those who have the uncanny ability to stare straight at the biggest issues and most momentous decisions of their very lives, and shrug?

Odds are very good you do. Because they are, apparently, legion. And pivotal. And they are, it must be said, one of the most baffling groups in world history. Impenetrable. Unnerving. As such, it is perhaps a worthy experiment to try to enter the Undecided mind, to examine what might be going on -- or, as the case may be, not going on. ...

[MadHound]

1. I like Morford greatly, however this isn't the time to be slamming the undecideds

People are undecided for many more reasons than he so cynically list. I know many die hard RW conservatives who are still on the fence, weighing the merits, or lack thereof, of the McCain camp. Many of these people can't stand McCain, Palin, or both, but are finding it a large leap to actually vote for Obama. These people don't need to hear somebody like Morford berating them for still being unsure. Rather they need the space, place and a gentle nudge, not a sledgehammer, to tip them into the Obama camp.

I understand Morford's frustration, but frankly his urban, liberal viewpoint is too narrow to grasp why so many people are still on the fence, and his analysis is insulting to these people and not helping the Obama cause. He, like Schumer, Kerry, and some others need to shut the fuck up until after the election. Otherwise he risks alienating votes that we're going to need, especially out here in the red states.

Thanks but no thanks Mark.

[lukasahero]

3. Do you really think the people you describe are reading Mark Morford?

Of the SF Gate? Really?

[MadHound]

5. They may or may not read Morford

Actually there are a few that it wouldn't surprise me if they did. However these sorts of things get around, get into emails, television, radio, etc. Thus there's a decent chance that they'll see this piece. And frankly, the condescending, insulting tone is not what they need to hear. Save that shit for after the election when we can afford to celebrate, can afford to let it all hang out. Right now, we need to be circumspect and careful, woo people with honey rather than beating them over the head with rhetoric.

[madokie]

7. Mark get you a little riled up this morning :-)

I get emails from one of my friends about everything in the world but never a Morford column :hi:

[lunatica]

4. He's not talking about the "die hard RW conservatives"

He's talking about the self-proclaimed undecideds. There's a world of difference. Your friends are obviously loyal to their party and will probably stay home rather than cross the line and vote for a member of the opposition party. They aren't undecided, they're quite decided, but just not enough to vote. Speaking for myself I can't imagine voting for a Republican, ever, because in my opinion it's a vote for a party committee with set agendas, not a leader who actually makes decisions that sometimes go against his party. So if I really hated the Democratic candidate I would stay home because I won't vote for a Republican. I was NO Reagan Democrat.

Morford is talking about the undecideds who actually sit on the fence thinking they still have to think about the choices as if there is some equality between the candidates. And I agree with him. They are not very intelligent if they still think that lies and the truth can be interchanged and swapped or that facts and opinion somehow hold the same weight. Their perception of the issues is superficial at best. Why should they think logically every four years if they don't think that way in the intervals?

edited for spelling

[MadHound]

6. Actually my friends are quite civicly active,

And not voting will be an anethma to them. They'll vote, they'll vote either 'Pug or Dem, but right now they are still struggling with which way they will go. They don't like McCain/Palin, but are unsure about Obama, much like Morford describes here. The thing is, slamming their intelligence, slamming their motivations, slamming them period is counterproductive before the election.

Look, I understand that you may not get the mentality out here in fly over country, but I live here and I get it all too well. We can pull many of these disenchanted 'Pug votes over into Obama's camp, already have. But insulting, stereotyping bullshit like this is not helping the cause and should be discussed only after the election. We need these votes, and alienating them with insults and cynicism isn't going to help us get them.

[onlyadream]

2. I don't buy it

if they do exist, I think they are just vying for attention.