Posted on 10/14/2004 12:35:01 PM PDT by jmaroneps37
the Daily Times Delaware County Pa
The Undecided: Young voters step up to the plate
By WILLIAM BENDER , wbender@delcotimes.com 10/11/2004
The fact that someone like Nicole Mattucci is still undecided three weeks before Election Day should be cause for concern for John Kerry’s Pennsylvania campaign. It means President Bush is connecting with liberal-minded college students in a state Kerry must carry to win the November election.
Mattucci, 19, of Middletown, is pro-choice, anti-war and doesn’t like the direction in which the economy is heading. She thinks banning assault weapons makes sense and banning gay marriage is ridiculous.
Her values are in synch with those of the Democratic Party, but Mattucci isn’t convinced Kerry is ready to make the leap from the Senate to the White House. Most Americans believe Kerry emerged from the first debate a stronger candidate; Mattucci saw something in Bush that his Republican supporters most admire: sincerity.
"Kerry believes in most of the issues that are important to me and that’s why I’m heading that way. But I also came out of watching the debate having more respect for George Bush and less faith in John Kerry," said Mattucci, a Penncrest High School graduate attending Delaware County Community College. The president "seems to be sticking very closely to his beliefs while Kerry seems to be flip-flopping and going back and forth and feeling one way then another."
There is one thing Bush or Kerry could do to secure her vote: Guarantee the prevention of another major terrorist attack on American soil.
Of course, neither candidate can make that guarantee, but Mattucci and others like her say have yet to see Bush or Kerry make a definitive case on homeland security because both campaigns devote most of their resources to debunking the opposition --- often with messages that aren’t entirely true. This makes the whole decision-making process flat out "confusing" for young voters, whom Mattucci says are more likely to watch Michael Moore’s "Fahrenheit 9/11" than do their own research.
When she first saw the film, her first impression was:
"‘Wow, Bush is really an idiot.’" But she was determined not to let "one man’s opinion" of the president "completely influence me in one way or the other."
"I saw how much that movie influenced voters and I realized these candidate really weren’t reaching out to the younger voting generation," she said. "People like Michael Moore have left younger voters very confused."
The latest Keystone Poll released last week by Franklin & Marshall College shows that only 6 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds in Pennsylvania remain undecided. Though Kerry has opened up a 7-point advantage among all of Pennsylvania's registered voters, the state's 21 electoral votes are still up for grabs. Since February, the lead in the Keystone Poll has been fluctuating monthly between the two candidates. Both partisan and non-partisan groups, colleges and celebrities launched unprecedented youth registration drives this year. But registering and voting are two different things. Mattucci registered this summer for the first time. Neither campaign has won her vote because she says they waste their time "slamming each other constantly." That doesn't help her make a choice. In fact, it turns her off to both parties. "I don't see the candidates reaching out to people my age. If I had seen one candidate doing it, honestly, it may have changed the way I thought," Mattucci said. "I feel that by them not reaching out to us it almost seems like they don't have respect for us." All she wants is for the candidates to explain to her how they will create a safer, more prosperous nation. She wants the facts, not the spin. So far, Bush and Kerry have come up short, Mattucci said, and "I'm not the only one in this boat." *
"...while Kerry seems to be flip-flopping and going back and forth and feeling one way then another."
That's because he is not driven by conviction but by ambition. A man like that can be bought. Makes you wonder what global power George Soros is getting in exchange for financing a Kerry presidency.
Hmmmmmm. Not really. Historically, if they haven't made up their minds by two weeks out of the election, the undecideds usually go for the challenger.
No they don't. They usually break 2 to 1 for the challenger. That's how Goron closed a 2-3 point gap in closing days of the last election.
If the challenger hasn't made the case then they don't vote or they go to the incumbent. This is especially true during a time of war.
Bush was not an incumbent 4 years ago, so Gore wasn't the challenger. The DUI thing killed the Bush momentum and took the fire out of the base. That will not happen this year.
The MSM interpretation of 'undecided' is someone who hasn't decided if they'll vote for Bush vigorously or adamantly.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.