Who is the undecided voter

[RazzleCat]

What rock do they live under. Do you know an undecided voter? Are they just afraid to say who they are going to vote for? Any data on where they live or what they are like. I don't a single person who does not know who they are going to vote for.

[xray s]

1. that is an interesting question

I would like to see a survey that delves into their opinions and knowledge of current events.

[punpirate]

2. Unfortunately...

... the undecideds, in this election, are the people among us who think Vanna White is an English professor....

[xray s]

3. Think the TV show "Street Smarts"

scary, isn't it?

[punpirate]

4. Sorry, no understanding...

... no TV in the last five years. Not missed, either.

[JI7]

5. there are different types

one group of undecided voters are the ones who are just not very partisan and usually vote based on who they like or who they think will be a better president, but they don't base it by looking at the issues much.

another group of undecided voters are those who do have positions on issues, but they are considering voting for the other party because of some specific issue or reason. such as a person that might be a social conservative and anti choice and who would usually vote republican but may be considering voting democratic this time because they are having economic troubles and they view the other party as helping them there. so they are undecided on whether to go with the party they usually got with or to ignore certain issues and go with the other party because they think it will help them in a certain area such as jobs .

[TheRovingGourmet]

6. I know quite a few that have not decided who they will be voting

against yet. I think the debates will be the key factor in their decision. The common factor with them is that they are overly informed on issues.

[Droopy]

7. I hope you're kidding

I don't think there's a way that you can be overly informed on the issues. If you are really informed on the issues, then you really know who you are going to vote for. It's a done deal.

[TheRovingGourmet]

8. Career politicians can have an impressive stack of skeletons

in their closets and if someone is overly informed on the issues then they will be aware of many of them. This can make it very hard to decide who one wants to vote against.

[Droopy]

9. Ok. Name some skeletons that Kerry has in his closet. n/t

[TheRovingGourmet]

11. You will be hearing about all of them soon enough.

[Droopy]

12. In other words, you don't know of any. n/t

[TheRovingGourmet]

15. Anything I would post with the intent of heading off a potential

talking point would just be met with the usual "shoot the messenger" posters and nothing of any worth would be discussed. Sad, but true.

[Droopy]

18. What the hell

It's just a message board. If Kerry has any skeletons in his closet I want to know about them. Not because it will affect my vote, but because I want to know what I'm going to have to deal with in the near future. You've got nothing to lose, come with it. If you've got any information that might damage us I think you should post it as a public service.

[fujiyama]

20. I'm not sure if

"skeleton" is the right word but his record in the senate can be considered a liability by some (I like his record and believe it to be a strenth). For example, Kerry has opposed the death penalty (but later switched on the death penalty for terrorists). I'm not sure how that will play with many.

[Catherine Vincent]

10. That's what I want to know.

If anyone is still undecided at this late stage, then they are either not paying attention or they're idiots.

[Radical Activist]

13. Someone who dislikes Bush but is unimpressed with Kerry

Republicans win when fewer people vote. That's why ugly, nasty campaigns benefit Republicans. If people get disgusted and stay home its good for them, but bad for us.

Sadly, we don't hear much about what Kerry has done on economic issues in his career for low income and middle class voters.

[amjsjc]

16. Or the reverse

This is where Kerry's lack of animal magnetism becomes a BIG problem

[jackstraw45]

14. Village idiots mostly.

The rest of the WORLD sees what a danger Bush is, we democrats do, rethugs just want their tax breaks and anyone who is on the fence, at this point, well, I don't think they're playing with a lit lightbulb.

[Piperay]

22. I agree

anyone undecided at this point has got to be a real dim bulb. :silly:

[amjsjc]

17. Mostly people who don't pay attention...

About the only way to have avoided forming an opinion at this late a date is to not pick up a newspaper and avoid TV/radio news like the plague. They tend to be less well educated on average. They're also becoming a lot rarer.

[Chili]

19. I know one

...a genuine one. She's not well-read, it's true, she'd be the first to tell you that, and she's embarrased about it - she's not some loud-mouthed idiot who spouts stuff in proud ignorance. But... I'm afraid she's completely uninformed. As of (I'm guessing) a few weeks ago, this Republican (though she swears she's voted for Dems before, though I doubt it) was thoroughly disgusted with Bush and was ready to vote a straight Democratic ticket for the first time ever (her son-in-law is in danger of being sent to Iraq). But when I talked to her the other day, suddenly... she's not so sure. I said, what happened, I thought you were voting for Kerry? Then I asked the dreaded questioin: Swiftboat liars? She's so out of the info loop that the name "Swiftboat" wasn't even familiar - yet she knew enough to suddenly not trust Kerry and to question his character (she didn't say anything specific becausee she won't around me, she's very passive). But I was horrified. She said she's considering not voting at all. I suspect she's a Fox victim. She's no religious nut or bigot or racist or homophobe at all, she's not "stupid," she's just... awfully terribly uninformed. And doesn't have the time, generally, to fix that. That's what happens when people don't read newspaper articles.

I knew better than to go any further, she will never debate me, so I dropped it. But I sent her 2 horrendously long emails with links to every Swiftboat debunking article I could find (I stayed away from op/eds, stuck with the big boys - NYT, WP, Tribune, Globe, Chronicle, AP - along with all those local online papers with local vets sticking up for Kerry). I begged her on my knees (in the email!) to read all this stuff, just "give the BETTER MAN a chance." I think she will, she's a fair person, and out of respect for our friendship, I do believe she will at least try. But she's a classic "undecided:" a moderate - whether Republican or Democrat - who takes the easy path to the right.

[Seabiscuit]

21. A figment of pollsters' imaginations...

The people who get calls during dinnertime from pollsters and are asked to respond to a series of questions about who they'd vote for and why, and respon: "I don't have the time" or "I can't make up my mind (unspoken: whether to take the call or sit down to dinner)" and then get distracted and hang up.

A little lightbulb flashes in the pollsters minds: now THERE's an "undecided voter"! :think: