Who Are The Undecideds In the 2004 vote:

[Baja Margie]

by Steve Thomma:

Washington. There are only about 2.6 million of them, but they could hold the future of the Nation in their hands...


http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/special_packages/9525047.htm

[TruthIsAll]

1. Kerry will get at least 2/3 of them...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x690839

[PartyPooper]

2. Undecideds = Uninformed.

Let's all hope that they get an education in what's really been going on for the last 4 years. Otherwise, God help us all!

:dem:

[Baja Margie]

4. Amen to that Party Pooper !

[Born Free]

10. Undecideds = Uninformed.

They take pride in being "politically ignorant", and the media treats them as some of the most sophisticated voters out there. Anyone that can not tell the difference and has not decided if America is on the right track by this time is truly foolish. I have no respect for these individuals.

[lfairban]

3. How many are in large contested states?

I'd guess about a half million of them are in the four states: Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

[Gloria]

5. Thread just up about Ohio...more undecided Democrats than

Republicans....how can a Democrat be undecided???? (Bush running among Repugs better than Kerry is among Dems....what are they thinking???)

[Leilani]

6. Honestly?

People who don t like Bush or Kerry.

[Lindacooks]

8. Who the hell cares if you like them??

You're never going to have lunch with them; never be neighbors. They will never work in the cube next to you. Like has nothing to do with it. Nothing frustrates me more than this; it's as though these idiots have a personal relationship with the images they see on TV.

VOTE ON HOW THEIR STANCE ON THE ISSUES AFFECTS YOU!!

[Pastiche423]

9. "VOTE ON HOW THEIR STANCE ON THE ISSUES AFFECTS YOU!!"

Uh...

Not a good thing to say if you want people to vote for kerry.

[wakfs]

15. Exactly

"It's as though these idiots have a personal relationship with the images they see on TV."

Now you're catching on. TV has become such a force for ill in this country.

[RamboLiberal]

7. Here's a good LAT story on them- doesn't sound good for *

President Bush has some explaining to do.

When he steps on stage at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night to accept the Republican Party's presidential nomination, swing voters say they want to know how he plans to lower gas prices, make healthcare more affordable and create jobs.

America's shrinking cadre of crucial undecided voters say they want to hear Bush promise that he won't touch Social Security funds to pay for something else. They want him to describe how he'll get rid of the national debt. But most of all, they say, they want to know how he plans to extricate U.S. forces from ongoing combat in Iraq.

"We have soldiers dying every day. One thing I learned in the military is you have to have an exit plan," said Terry Eaton, 50, a paramedic training officer in San Antonio. "One of the things George Bush didn't have was a way to get out.... I want to hear what his goals are for Iraq."

<snip>

Frustration with the cost of America's involvement in Iraq — along with growing feeling that the country probably shouldn't have gone to war — was a recurring theme among these undecided voters.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-na-voters30aug30,1,1422370.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[snippy]

11. I think undecided voters know that Bush should be fired, but they are

uncertain about Kerry. This is similar to the 1980 election where many people believed that Carter should be replaced but were uncomfortable with Reagan. The polls were fairly close until after the debates.

If Kerry does well in the debates the undecided voters should break his way. However, the republicans will launch a well organized and coordinated effort to belittle Kerry's performance in the debates regardless of the reality. They will attempt to place the entire media focus on the slightest mistake by Kerry. Even a slightly prolonged pause by Kerry will be seized upon by the republicans and repeated ad nauseum as proof that he is ill prepared to be president. Democrats need to be extremely well prepared to define the results of each debate.

[emulatorloo]

12. The Undecided Voter - Tom Tommorow has 'em nailed:

http://www.workingforchange.com/comic.cfm?itemid=17519

[LeftHander]

13. the "Undecideds"

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Undecided Dangerously Uninformed, Hard Core Bushies- Just Dangerous

The undecided voters to me are the most dangerously uninformed segment of the voting public. I know this is harsh but I find it difficult to figure out how someone could be undecided when it comes to Bush.

If you hate gays, love Jesus, feel the U.S. deserves anything it can take by force from any non-christians or people of color in the world then it goes without saying this person is voting Bush. There is no swaying them. These are just plain dangerous people.

Dangerously stupid on the other hand are the undecideds. It doesn't take much effort to find out Bush's agenda of lies, hate, war and treasury robbing. Spending a few minutes on the internet is easy enough to uncover many facts that directly counter the media. In the past few weeks we have seen how the media can spin a headline and story to say the exact opposite of what really occurred. (SCOTUS decisions case in point).

The undecideds are distracted by every shiny bobblehead doll, new vacuum sweeper, gadget and SUV that comes on the market. They relish the next reality show with zeal and WalMart is the place to shop. Feeding on a copious diet of TV news and mass market radio served up by Clear Channel they digest a empty meal of misinformation and distraction.

Here we have a population so out of touch with human life they actually believe that the Atkins diet is healthy and a good idea. They question global warming and go along with the blatant lies from the extreme rightwing that call global warming a myth.

The undecideds will be very concerned with who is leading in the polls the day before the elections and will make the choice the night before on a whim based on the last television commercial they saw.

Dangerously uninformed or dangerously stupid? Probably stupid and careless. Conservative leaning moderates typically are undecided about closely contested elections. There is still a moral bell ringing inside their head but the conscious refuses to answer. It is more important to wait and vote for the projected winner. Every undecided likes to vote for the winner. It feels good.

[Strawman]

14. Totally agree

This is why the most superficial (albeit true) criticisms of Bush might be the most effective ones. What I think will probably sway these people is a Democratic echo chamber that says Bush is too stupid and reckless to be President because it reaffirms the impression one has of Bush at face value. The man is not bright. Even undecideds know this. It's a glaring weakness his handlers try to hide by keeping him in very tightly controlled public situations and it needs to be gone after tenaciously.

I've been trying to figure out who has the advantage of presumption with the undecideds. Is Bush the safe choice because he represents the (known) status quo or is Kerry less risky because at face value he obviously would seem more qualified to be President even to an uninformed voter? The answer to that I think is the answer to the election. The undecided voter is too lazy to get the facts on the issues. They hear both sides make noise and figure they're all spinning and don't know what to believe because they will never really examine the evidence. They dread making a decision and are looking for an easy way out that is simple to explain at the watercooler or over the fence to their neighbor. Absent an "October surprise" or a major "gotcha" they aren't going to have an easy decision. I think alot of them vote Republican to avoid bullying by aggressive co-workers or family members. If they're in a union, they might vote Democratic because the peer pressure works the other way.

An undecided voter is like a bad debate judge. Give them an easy way out and let them know your side will hold them accountable for their decision. I think we need more annoying liberal brothers-in-law to persuade these folks.