Posted on 01/15/2016 10:14:01 AM PST by Kaslin
… Ted Cruz, and by acclamation. The moment that convinced these South Carolina voters? Cruz’ riposte to Donald Trump on birther theories, even while Cruz led it off by emphasizing that the debate should focus on more important issues. Looks like Cruz was wrong about that, but the focus group’s reaction to his rebuttal went almost literally off the chart:
Frank Luntz Focus Group Picks Their Overwhelming Winner of Fox Business GOP Debate
Cruz also scored big when he blasted the Obama administration for the capture of 10 US Navy sailors by Iran, and the images gleefully published by Tehran of the Americans on their knees. “That’s absolutely terrifying,” one focus-group respondent told Luntz after the debate. Another, a veteran, added that Cruz and Trump “are focused on veterans issues better than anyone else.”
Due to a schedule conflict, I could not catch last night’s debates, but there does seem to be some consensus among those who did about the three big winners last night being Cruz, Trump, and Marco Rubio. Andrew Malcolm of Investors Business Daily feels that the field has been narrowed to three people in Iowa and perhaps the rest of the race:
1) Less than three weeks out from the Iowa caucuses, the field of realistic competitors for the party’s nomination, based on substance and polls, has been narrowed to three for this moment.
2) With arguably the exception of Ben Carson, who seems so often so congenially lost, the candidates have certainly honed their presentations in the 23 campaign weeks since that first party debate on Fox News in early August. They’ve moved into the closing argument stage for the last pre-Iowa caucus debate on Jan. 28, again on Fox News.
3) Most of the seven men on the main stage — Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Carson — tried valiantly to drag their likely Democrat November opponent into the rhetorical struggle. …
Christie is knocking on the contender door. But for now atop the field are Trump, at 69 the oldest GOP candidate, older even than Hillary Clinton, and Cruz, at 45 second youngest by only five months to Rubio, 44. Trump and Cruz are virtually tied in Iowa polls, while the articulate, optimistic Rubio, as always, lurks nearby.
Each of them had brilliant moments in Charleston on the Fox Business Network.
Jeff Dunetz thinks it’s down to four, but that Trump had the best night:
Last night the GOP field was whittled down to four people, there may be more in the race but only four matter; Trump, Cruz, Rubio, and Christie. And the prediction here is that after the first three primaries, only those four will be left.
Looking at the debate from an unemotional point of view Cruz probably won the night, however Trump will probably have the biggest bounce from the debate. Right now Trump is leading the field, and you don't knock the leader off his perch on points, you have to knock him out. Trump wasn't close to being knocked out. In fact, he showed incredible growth as a candidate. He's lost part of the frothing lunatic approach. While Cruz may have out-pointed Trump, the billionaire had his best debate.
Guy Benson calls it a good night for the three at the top, but also picks Trump as the winner:
Though his performance was laced with characteristic policy ignorance and general incoherence (his answer on tariffs was especially bad, for instance), Trump had three shining moments that made last night’s event a success for him. First, his rejoinder to Ted Cruz’s “New York Values” barb — calling to mind New Yorkers’ magnificent response to the horror of 9/11 — was at once cutting and humanizing. It was delivered with an air of disappointment, blended with the indignance of a man defending the honor of the city he loves. Very savvily played. Later, when moderator Maria Bartiromo asked whether Trump could disentangle himself from and set aside his international business interests in order to prioritize the country’s interests as president, Trump gave what struck me as a deeply-felt, authentic answer: Sure, I’m proud of my company, and yes I’m very rich, with financial interests all over the globe. But if I’m president, that all stops. I’m in this for America. The presidency and our nation would be the one and only thing that matters to me. Even as someone who’s been very critical and cynical about Trump, I believed him here. A strong moment. Finally, Trump’s closing statement actually seemed prepared — even rehearsed! — for once. And it was very effective. He spoke of meeting with construction workers who were despondent and angry over the spectacle of Iran capturing and humiliating US sailors this week. In the post-debate spin room, the frontrunner said that “many people” had told him that last night marked his best debate showing of the cycle. Though he’s said virtually the exact same thing (always attributed to nameless others) after each and every forum this cycle, he was probably right this time.
The one consensus loser of the night appears to be Ben Carson. If so, the question will be who ends up with his voters. Based on style, one might expect them to go to Rubio, but based on the impulse for outsiders, it may be that those voters split between Trump and Cruz, too.
Cruz!
Frank Luntz’s focus groups are wrong more often than Dick Morris. Entertaining but out of sync with the rest of the voters.
Anyone who thinks Cruz’ comments about “New York values” is going to hurt him in Iowa is making a big error in judgment.
Any reasonable person knows that his comments had nothing to do with 9/11.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: no reputable marketing company would base any major decision on a focus group. They are horrible predictors of the action of the masses.
I would believe Frank Luntz as far as I could throw that sack of crap. I used to get his questionnaires on becoming a part of his panel. He always knows in advance how everyone will answer his questions.
Can you say RIGGED!
[[Any reasonable person knows that his comments had nothing to do with 9/11.]]
Exactly- only the perpetually outraged think that is what He meant- Trump pulled an alynski on Cruz- making it appear like Ted was insulting NY’ers who reacted to the 9/11 tragedy with grit determination, and - sadly though many will fall for it- but those with a modicum of common sense know that Cruz was simply stating a fact- NY by and large is liberal- NOT that everyone has liberal values there, but enough do that it has turned the state liberal- Yes, there are conservatives in NY and even liberals in NY can and do have big hearts- BUT their politics are defiantly liberal- That’s all Ted was referring to-
My reasoning - Carson voters are first and foremost conservative Christians, thus my serious doubts they'd go to Trump, after stating that he's a Presbyterian and claiming he's never had a reason to ask for forgiveness!
These people are serious about their faith and having been to an event a year ago last fall when people were gearing up with the "Run Ben Run" and to a person after he got in the race as well as Donald, everyone I heard said they'd not vote for a Donald Trump. Reason: "He's sacrilegious!"
Pretty much not engaged over Rubio, as they've not ever heard his faith story - just his "little guy moving himself up by his bootstraps," not giving God credit for anything at all.
Most likely, these votes would go to Cruz, if they vote at all but they do seem engaged in the election and they loathe the godless Democrats!
I have a feeling you are a Trump supporter...just guessing.
I can’t believe we have gotten this lucky. The GOPe is in shambles, and we actually have a chance to change the status quo.
We have a two-man race between the two superior candidates. May the best man win, and find a way to use the other man in the best way for the USA!
Interesting, considering Trump is winning a plurality of evangelical voters in Iowa.
No, I did marketing in a large organization. Focus groups are good for getting direction and feedback on specific items, new product development, and advertising.
I used to use group sessions and individual interviews to identify exemplars of customer “needs” in service delivery. But we always did statistically valid follow up to establish a hierarchy. That was used to set up service delivery processes, call routing, and to set performance metrics.
I lectured on this crap for years.
What you see with Luntz can be loosely called a focus group.
My point is that for national campaigns they are not statistically accurate, and they can be full of bias, especially if you have a dope running them. I have seen people turn on each other like animals in focus groups. You could make a Christmas party video with stuff like that.
And nope, I am sitting this one out. The President is not going to change a damn thing as we continue down the drain we are currently circling.
I don't know which poll to which you refer but the group I was attending were bonafide believers and they do have a problem with following a man who claims he's never had a reason to ask for forgiveness from God!
These people know the difference, believe me. I know lots of Christians who desperately want to win this election (like myself) and will vote for Trump but like them, he's not my first choice, while recognizing we're not voting for a "National Pastor," I'd vote for a Christian before a non-Christian like Trump given I had a choice.
Like our founding fathers, the "top leader of our nation should only be held by a follower of Jesus Christ."
Yes. Luntz is well on his way to becoming the next Dick Morris.
Yeah anything besides “TRUMP WON” and “TRUMP WILL WIN A LANDSLIDE” is clearly an anti-Trump lie.
So it seems the GOPe has SETTLED ON A STRATEGY, which is to prop up Cruz, have him take Trump down, and then, of course take down Cruz (maybe by filing their own birther lawsuit).
Which means they’ve given up on their guys having a prayer of defeating Trump/Cruz in the Primary and now are into Plan B.
I doubt it works though, Luntz has been virtually proven to STACK his so-called Focus Groups in the past (early debates) when he was trying to take out Trump...and no doubt we’re getting the same here. We’re wise to it.
I really wish people would stop posting internet polling results on FR as if they meant anything.
Before Donald Trump entered the race, Rand Paul used to win every single one of these, along with the Iowa straw poll.
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