Last month I wrote a diary about an interesting focus group the St. Petersburg Times was conducting with a group of 11 truly undecided voters in the Tampa Bay region. The paper has followed this group for two months, convening them several times to talk about who they plan to vote for in the presidential election, and how they came to their decisions. The group started out being highly suspicious of Obama and ripe pickings for the McCain campaign. Today, however, the Times reports that 9 of 11 in the group plan to vote for Obama, while just one plans to vote for McCain (one voter is STILL undecided). The reasons they give for their decisions are enlightening and inspiring to say the least.
When the Times first convened this group of undecideds--four Republicans, five Democrats, and two independents--they were certainly no big fans of Barack Obama:
Two months ago, the undecided voters convened for a focus group at the St. Petersburg Times were decidedly antagonistic toward Barack Obama and in several cases leaning toward McCain.
Obama clearly had his work cut out for him. By last month, however, a majority of the group were beginning to lean to Obama, and there was one overarching reason: Sarah Palin. Still, nobody had made up their minds, and they were looking forward to the debates to help them make up their minds.
Well, it looks like the debates helped out Obama as much as all of the polls about the debates would indicate. The group saw the same things we all did, and clearly came away feeling much better about Obama. And they remain as horrified as ever at the thought of Sarah Palin in the White House.
At the last session last week, most were scoffing at McCain's constant talk of Joe the Plumber, still calling Palin unqualified, divisive and grating, and acknowledging that Obama has grown on them.
Ha! Joe the Plumber bombed with this group. Another McCain gimmick failed.
Focus group participant Annette Kocsis, a former Hillary supporter, described the arc she took in moving toward Obama:
"The first meeting, I was absolutely against Barack Obama, up one side and down the other. He was too young, he was too inexperienced. By the second one (after Palin joined the ticket), it was like, whoa, I don't know what I'm going to do now," said Annette Kocsis, a 68-year-old Democrat from Clearwater, who no longer worries so much about a President Obama.
Obama accomplished his top goal in the debates: Show voters that he is presidential. (And by the way, thanks Sarah Palin!)
Another former Hillary supporter, Rhonda Laris, made her own interesting journey from McCain to Obama:
Democrat Rhonda Laris, 53, also said she favored McCain originally but came to grips with her discomfort over voting for a presidential candidate younger than her. She also said she can't stomach Palin in the White House.
"And No. 3, Hillary asked me to vote for Obama," said Laris, a loan officer and formerly strong Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter who said even if Clinton's heart isn't behind Obama, her endorsement meant something.
Laris' interest in traveling abroad also helped move her to Obama: "I want the world to like us again."
Yes, Hillary Clinton's strong campaigning for Obama -- and her boffo "Tell them Hillary sent you" line -- has clearly made an impact with some Dem voters. And I love Laris's comment about traveling abroad; people are truly sick of how much George Bush has ruined our country's reputation. Hey, where are all those PUMAs??
One Republican in the group echoed Colin Powell's comments from Sunday in talking about how the Republican party--and John McCain--seemed to have left him behind, even though he made his comments before Powell's endorsement.
"I've felt for a long time that the Republican Party has been captured by people who are too far (in) the extremes — the religious right, the neo-cons. I had great hopes that I could see in McCain somebody who was different. I don't see that anymore," said Republican retired military officer Donn Spegal, 80, of Tierra Verde.
"You want several things out of a president, and I think Obama has potential. Intelligence is the first one, obvious love of country and dedication. He must be a pragmatist. We haven't had enough pragmatism, and I think Obama shows that."
The people in the group apparently got to know each other fairly well over the past two months, particularly in terms of their political views. So they were all shocked when Mark Sayre spoke up.
When Republican Mark Sayre, 50, of St. Petersburg declared he would vote for Obama, the room erupted in gasps. For Sayre — one of the group's only Palin fans — the final debate clinched it.
"I'm a very good judge of character. I've sold everything from newspapers to used cars," said Sayre, who concluded Obama has more integrity than McCain. "Basically, you just looked at these two and you trusted Obama. I was looking at their character. I was watching them — movements, hand gestures, face. You can tell."
Leave it to a salesman. A good friend of mine is a longtime salesman and he always tells me that salespeople are the best judges of character. Anyway, here's more proof that all the nonverbal components of the debate made a big impact in people's minds -- and not just with us kossacks. Before the debates, my partner and I had wondered out loud how anyone would be able to look at the two men together on the same stage and not conclude that Obama was clearly the better candidate.
Yes, this is a group of just 11 people, so we have to take it for just that. But the huge swing this group took over the past few months -- from no support for Obama to 9 (maybe 10) of 11 voting for him -- is noteworthy. And their comments give us some helpful insights, I think, into how some undecided voters are viewing the race and making up their minds. If you talk to any undecideds over the next two weeks, this article might help you reach them about why Barack Obama needs to be our next president.
And just so we don't get complacent, I'll leave you with the remarks of the sole McCain voter in the group:
Soltis, the only McCain voter, left the meeting with some parting advice to his fellow voters: Remember 1948, he said, referring to Harry Truman's stunning upset over Thomas Dewey.