Very interesting. These women have a more realistic sense of what's going on than a lot of people, including me, give them credit for.
Tough Love for Obama
Posted on Sep 22, 2010
By Ruth Marcus
The Wal-Mart Moms were pessimistic, bordering on despondent, about the state of the country. Like, well, moms dealing with bickering children, they were exasperated by Washington lawmakers seemingly incapable of learning to get along.
And they were surprisingly understanding about the president’s plight. Even those who did not vote for Barack Obama shied away from blaming him for the current state of affairs. If anything, they said they felt sorry for him.
I spent a fascinating evening last week listening via video hookup to focus groups, 30 women in all, in three battleground states: Pennsylvania, Missouri and Colorado. These were, literally, Wal-Mart shoppers—the retail giant sponsored the discussions—screened to exclude committed partisans of the left or right and split evenly between 2008 supporters of Obama and John McCain.
These were homemakers and teachers, dental assistants and billing managers. Most had at least some college education. All made less than $100,000 annually, most closer to $50,000, and for many the recession had hit painfully close, with husbands who had lost jobs and homes foreclosed or underwater.
All were likely to vote in November, although despite the intensity of the Senate races in their states, they were largely oblivious to the candidates. For all the partisan attacks lobbed at the Democratic and Republican congressional leadership, they knew little about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and even less about Minority Leader John Boehner.
If I were a member of Congress listening to these women, I would have been horrified by their perception of lawmakers as elitists disconnected from—indeed, uninterested in—their concerns.
If I were a member of Congress up for re-election I would have been frightened by their hostility.
If I were the president, I would have felt relieved. Not great, but relieved.
more...
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/tough_love_for_obama_20100922/