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=A0 The convention has been very good, but tonight Senator Obama gets the cente= r stage and here is what this Analyst thinks he should say: =A0 I am more like Joe Sixpack then you think.=A0 I grew up with a single mothe= r and we were not rich. If you elect me I will change the culture of Washin= gton and restore America=92s role in the world and get our troops out of Ir= aq. I will have a government that works for all of America not just African= -Americans or the rich or the lobbyists. If you are in the middle class I w= ill lower your taxes.=A0 If you are in the highest income group I will rais= e your taxes.=20 =A0 =A0I am a Christian and I love America and I honor the flag and our veteran= s.=A0 I am prepared to be your commander in chief and I respect our militar= y. In fact I have more experience in national security and US foreign polic= y with my service in the U.S. Senate than either Bill Clinton or George W. = Bush had when they were first elected.=20 =A0 Yes I have a wife that can be candid at times and that is why I love her. A= nd yes I had a minister that said some stupid things and he is no longer my= minister. Yes my name is weird, but I have lived the American experience a= nd I am prepared to lead our nation. Trust me, do not fear me. =A0 That is what he should say and why is in the recent focus groups in Macomb = MI =A0 And then there is the recent study done by Stan Greenberg where he conducte= d focus groups in Macomb Michigan.=A0 His study is at http://www.gqrr.com/i= ndex.php?ID=3D2234 and it is worth the read. =A0 The execution summary is: =93Going into the Democratic convention, Barack Obama remains a candidate w= ith unique strengths and unique challenges. He has yet to close the deal wi= th many white, working-class voters who normally vote Democratic. Winning b= ack these Democratic defectors and Reagan Democrats will be a key goal for = Obama in his quest for the presidency.=20
A new report from GQR and Democracy Corps returns to Macomb County, Michiga= n, the place where Stan Greenberg first identified Reagan Democrats and the= ir importance in 1985. Based on six focus groups and two surveys, this repo= rt takes an in-depth look at the Regan Democrats and Democratic defectors o= f Macomb to understand why they are currently holding back from Obama and w= hat can be done to bring them back into the fold by November. =93
=93Key Findings The findings are surprising and important. The flight of the Reagan Democra= ts away from the Democratic Party in the 1980s and earlier was largely driv= en by racial issues. But even with the prospect of the first black presiden= t, race, while not unimportant, is not definitive for these voters. Their h= esitation is based primarily on two other issues.=20
First, Obama has yet to connect with these voters=92 anger at the elites of= business and politics who have sold out the American worker and middle cla= ss. His inability so far to convince these voters that he shares their pass= ion is leaving votes on the table.=20
Second, the Reagan Democrats and Democratic defectors of Macomb harbor doub= ts about Obama=92s national security credentials; many refusing to dismiss = their worst fears - that he does not love America or even might harbor a se= cret agenda.=20
Because of these doubts Obama trails in the blue-collar battleground county= of Macomb. But if he can reassure these voters on national security and co= nnect with their outsider anger on the economy he can close the gap in Maco= mb and, perhaps, put the state of Michigan (where he already leads) out of = reach.=94 =A0 =A0 =A0 Here is a sample of what Greenberg heard: =A0 =A0 =A0 =93One of the men =96 a moderate Democrat around 40 years old with some sch= ooling beyond high school =96 was nearly consumed with the question but also could not le= t go. =93I totally agree with what you=92re saying about the opportunities [for major changes if Oba= ma is elected] but a big suspicion that I had that if Barack Obama gets back into office =85 are= we going to see this big shift in the United States? You know, reparations for slaves and just a= whole shift in mindset. And I know that is not why we should vote is because of the race issue.=94 =A0 In the old Macomb and in the old way of getting information that would have= settled the issue, but Macomb has changed and people now have entirely new ways of gett= ing information and are using them. Then, the man continued on: =A0 I go on Barack Obama=92s site a couple of times a week and I really want to= vote for him and I want to see change in this country. I checked on factcheck.org to see= who is lying about what everyday and it is a great site, factcheck.org, they send e-mails out.= But you know I remain undecided who am I going to vote for. =A0 He remains undecided because electing Obama could be a big change: =93let= =92s face it one way, we been Caucasian for a whole entire country=92s life you know, our wh= ole life and now we are going to change to having a black president.=94 But then, he quickly qu= alifies about Obama, =93He doesn=92t play the race card. He distances himself from all of those = types of influences.=94 But then he asks himself, =93are we going to be surprised after things change y= ou know?=94 He talked about the good racial balance in the current cabinet: =93it is not like all= Caucasians in the cabinet.=94 To the nods of others, he summarized his feelings, =93I guess I have fears.= I don=92t know why I do but, and I don=92t know how it would affect me in my daily life ei= ther. I just got to be honest about it. I don=92t know. It probably wouldn=92t even affect me in m= y daily life.=94 And thus, he remains undecided.=94 Let=92s see how Barack does tonight in answering this guys questions. =A0 --0-1050809043-1219953311=:20398 Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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The convention has been very good, but tonight Senat=
or Obama gets the center stage and here is what this Analyst thinks he shou=
ld say: I am more like Joe Sixpack then you think. I grew up with a single mother and we=
were not rich. If you elect me I will change the culture of Washington and=
restore America=92s role in the world and get our troops out of Iraq. I wi=
ll have a government that works for all of America not just African-America=
ns or the rich or the lobbyists. If you are in the middle class I will lowe=
r your taxes. If you are in =
the highest income group I will raise your taxes. I am =
a Christian and I love America and I honor the flag and our veterans. I am prepared to be your commande=
r in chief and I respect our military. In fact I have more experience in na=
tional security and US foreign policy with my service in the U.S. Senate th=
an either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush had when they were first elected. =
Yes I have a wife that can be candid at times and th=
at is why I love her. And yes I had a minister that said some stupid things=
and he is no longer my minister. Yes my name is weird, but I have lived th=
e American experience and I am prepared to lead our nation. Trust me, do no=
t fear me. That is what he should say and why is in the recent =
focus groups in Macomb MI And then there is the recent study done by Stan Gree=
nberg where he conducted focus groups in Macomb Michigan. His study is at http://www.gqrr.com/index.php?ID=3D2234 and it i=
s worth the read. The execution summary is: =93Going into the Democratic conven=
tion, Barack Obama remains a candidate with unique strengths and unique cha=
llenges. He has yet to close the deal with many white, working-class voters=
who normally vote Democratic. Winning back these Democratic defectors and =
Reagan Democrats will be a key goal for Obama in his quest for the presiden=
cy. =
Here is a sample of what Greenberg heard: =93One of the men =96 a moderate Democrat around 40 =
years old with some schooling beyond high school =96 was nearly consumed with the questio=
n but also could not let go. =93I totally agree with what you=92re saying about the opportunities=
[for major changes if Obama is elected] but a big suspicion that I had that if Barack Obama get=
s back into office =85 are we going to see this big shift in the United States? You know, reparat=
ions for slaves and just a whole shift in mindset. And I know that is not why we should vote is beca=
use of the race issue.=94 In the old Macomb and in the old way of getting info=
rmation that would have settled the issue, but Macomb has changed and people now have en=
tirely new ways of getting information and are using them. Then, the man continued on: I go on Barack Obama=92s site a couple of times a=
week and I really want to vote for him and I want to see change in this country. I check=
ed on factcheck.org to see who is lying about what everyday and it is a great site, factcheck.o=
rg, they send e-mails out. But you know I remain undecided who am I going to vote for. He remains undecided because electing Obama could be=
a big change: =93let=92s face it one way, we been Caucasian for a whole entire country=
=92s life you know, our whole life and now we are going to change to having a black president.=
=94 But then, he quickly qualifies about Obama, =93He doesn=92t play the race card. He distances =
himself from all of those types of influences.=94 But then he asks himself, =93are we going to be surpr=
ised after things change you know?=94 He talked about the good racial balance in the current cabinet=
: =93it is not like all Caucasians in the cabinet.=94 To the nods of others, he summarized his feelings, =
=93I guess I have fears. I don=92t know why I do but, and I don=92t know how it would aff=
ect me in my daily life either. I just got to be honest about it. I don=92t know. It probably woul=
dn=92t even affect me in my daily life.=94 And thus, he rema=
ins undecided.=94 Let=92s=
see how Barack does tonight in answering this guys questions.
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