Posted on 01/07/2008 12:59:04 AM PST by MitchellC
I post this question not as sour grapes but just as an observation. It seems like every time I watch one of these debates and FoxNews has one of its focus groups, the room goes from all undecided to almost ALL Romney. And something about it doesn't pass the smell test.
The reason is because the voters go from apparently undecided to making very strong statements in favor of Romney. And that's not to say Romney hasn't done well in these formats, but if you look at neutral observers on the net, the results are much more balanced. It also doesn't stand to reason that a room of supposedly undecided voters would be making such strong statements, particularly statements that seem to go right in line with Romney's campaign themes -- business experience, leadership, etc. They rarely talk about flip flops or anything like that, and are almost always critical of the other people.
Also, I have read that those interested in signing up for Luntz's focus groups do so online at his website. Given Romney's on the ground organization in both Iowa and New Hampshire, it would make sense he would have some of his supporters signing up for Luntz's focus groups, pretending to be undecided.
A case in point, someone on Fred08.com pointed out a guy who was at both tonight's focus group and one four months ago -- apparently undecided:
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Comment by Christopher Fischahs (248)
2008-01-07 01:28:18
http://roobaroo.net/Images/Fox_Focus_Group.jpg
Just one of many examples of people making re-appearences in Frank’s ‘undecided voter’ focus groups. The fact of the matter is that to get in these groups you sign up through his website. Most real undecided voters would never be paying any attention to something like that. The fact is people sign up for these groups already backing a candidate, mostly hoping to influence the debate.
I’m not saying everybody there was corrupted or dishonest, but some of them must have been. I doubt it was coordinated or anything, and I agree that Romney came out on top tonight, but the focus group is bs.
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Finally, some of their anti-Fred answers seemed WAY too canned. "He needs to wake up". "He's an actor". Things like this. Remember the guy from Iowa who said "he looks tired" who was ALSO pro-Romney?
Maybe I'm just too pro-Fred but I think that Romney is stacking the focus groups.
Sorry that was some one I got the photo off of google don’t know who did that!
of course we’re going to be impressed by his answers. he’s a conservative! Hunter is a conservative! we’re all conservatives.
but I also want to be impressed by his campaign...
Jealousy shouldn't shape your vote.....
In fact I think that for New Hampshire, the focus group was probably pretty representative.
I am not a Fred fan, but I thought this was one of his better debates. He didn't hem and haw nearly as much as usual, and his answers were spot on.
Well, if they were truly independent (and let’s for the moment assume they were) and were seriously looking for a Republican candidate to support - why should we be surprised?
Romney was pretty much the center of attention at that table, and he comported himself well, even if in his usual slick manner. I think he got the most face-time, never embarrassed himself or lost his cool, and looked like a front-runner.
If you were truly uncommitted, and forced to make a choice, why is it shocking that they chose the man that “won” the debate?
It is a bit hard, though, for me to believe that these uncommitted voters didn’t walk into that restaurant with SOME preconceived notion as to whom they liked. And did Romney do enough to sway a Fred supporter, or ANY supporter of another candidate? No.
Bottom line, they had either been living in a bubble and had no prior leanings, or were Romney guys all along.
Conservative? Are you talking about today's Romney, yesterday's Romney, or tomorrow's Romney? He'll be whatever you want whenever you want! And if your name is Ted Kennedy you can have whatever you want too!
You know, there just may be a big Romney conspiracy among the voters of NH. Imagine a bunch of people getting together to vote for the same guy!
And, then again, he may have extracted the same sort of response that he wanted extracted. You don't suppose that Frank Luntz's focus group operation has a steering committee, do you?
Do you have a link for the boy scout statement; it’s startling.
LLS
Got a link?
If these Luntz focus groups are stacked in Romney's favor it's not because of anything Luntz is doing, or has done.
ha, ha, ha, ha. The website also has a poll on who’s the ugliest...
Madeline
Chelsea
Barbara
Janet R
Rosie
http://spartanspectator.blogspot.com/2007/05/mike-huckabee-traitor-to-republic.html
Actually, his position is self-consistent. Guantanamo exists because Bush needed a place to hold enemy combatants who were taken in arms fighting outside the laws of war and outside (perforce) the Geneva Conventions, so that DIA and CIA could interrogate them freely according to "what works".
Consent to treating the Guantanamo terrorists and private-army soldiers the same as any other prisoners in the American criminal system, and you might as well give them their weapons back and send them home, because the American defense bar will have them out in a trice.
I'm ambiguous about McCain's position. I know what I'd do to a terrorist scumbag who had certain knowledge of the location of a nuclear weapon on a time-fuse, but I understand his (traditional American) position on abusive treatment of POW's. The question is whether the Guantanamo detainees can claim to be POW's, and also whether USG can deny them that status, as the North Vietnamese Rodentburo did American prisoners during the Vietnamese War (which denial was their justification for maltreating them -- the orders for which, Viet jailers made clear, came from good old Uncle Ho, the hard case on the team).
Are Fox and Luntz swaying things one way or another? Hell yes! One only has to look at their (non)coverage of Fred to answer that question.
I REALLY like Fred, but I have to reluctantly admit that his laid-back, slow, detailed answering style is just not going to work in this election, especially up against a charismatic, smooth-talking Obama who says what people (and especially younger voters) want to hear. I LOVE Fred's positions on just about every single subject, but I am beginning to come to the conclusion that there is no way he is going to get elected......
My choices now are Fred, Mitt, Rudy, McCain, Huckabee; with Rudy, McCain, and Huckabee being votes against whomever the Dem is and a very difficult lever pull for the Republican.
There’s something about Luntz and his “focus groups” that I don’t care for but I can’t find the right words to express it.
Twenty years ago? He doesn't look that old.
I cannot stand any of these “undecided voter” forums, whoever is holding them. I change the channel as soon as I see them. Call me impatient and opinionated, but I find it hard to believe with all the information out there that these people can’t make up their minds. The ones in the general election campaigns are worse of course.
But what irks me more is that these people never sound like they lean to the right. To me they usually sound like Demo whiners whose concern is what is government going to do for ME. What new programs and legislation to control our lives will this next president push?? At least that is my impression.
Romney looks good on camera. In terms of style over substance, he does win debates, although I completely disagree he won last night.
I still don’t see a “moderate” northeast Republican capable of winning in November.
I saw that so called undecided Republican Focus group and immediately questioned the “undecided” tag. These people have been getting bombarded by candidates for almost a year now and I can’t believe after all of that and Iowa results they were still undecided. Something smells.
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