Focus group shows Bain image hurting Romney

from Maria Cardona 'Democratic strategist':

(CNN) -- There has been much speculation about whether the ads that President Barack Obama's campaign and its supporters have been running that are critical of Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital will be effective. There is also lots of critiquing of the reasons and effectiveness of first lady Michelle Obama's appearances on talk shows and reality shows ("The Biggest Loser," "Late Show With David Letterman," "The Daily Show," etc.).

But something I saw last night indicates the Bain ads are starting to have an effect, and that women view Michelle Obama as a positive -- a conduit to the president.

I was invited to sit in remotely on two focus groups of so-called "Wal-Mart" moms in Richmond, Virginia, and Las Vegas. Both groups -- 23 women, in all -- were screened to ensure the moms were not strong partisans on either side, and most identified themselves as independents and undecided. The Las Vegas group was all Latinas . . .

They gave him kudos for being a businessman, saying that would be a good attribute for a president in creating jobs, but they also underscored what they had heard in the ads that had been running in their hometowns. They used phrases like "I heard that while he was the head of a company, many workers lost their jobs ..." "That scares me."

When asked to use one word or phrase to describe Romney, the words or phrases they used included "Don't know that much about him," "selfish, "businessman who is concerned with making himself some money," "concerned about the wealthy," "can't be trusted," "scares me," and "lackluster" -- again, echoing some of what is being said in the Bain ads around the country . . .

So while in the minds of many of these women, Mitt Romney is largely undefined, what they apparently do know and feel about him seems to echo those Bain ads -- and look to represent a beginning sketch of someone they cannot trust.

read more: http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/08/opinion/cardona-romney-focus-group/

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21 replies	Author	Time	Post
Focus group shows Bain image hurting Romney (Original post)	bigtree	Jun 2012	OP
and the "money laundering"	Rosa Luxemburg	Jun 2012	#1
It does not matter.	zeemike	Jun 2012	#12
the more people hear about Bain the better	Rosa Luxemburg	Jun 2012	#13
True enough	zeemike	Jun 2012	#14
if they steal the election	Rosa Luxemburg	Jun 2012	#15
Cool!	drm604	Jun 2012	#2
of course they will	ibegurpard	Jun 2012	#3
well, i don't think that a plurality of these women actually know what Clinton or Booker said	bigtree	Jun 2012	#4
Screw Rmoney and his houses. Bain hurt regular folks.	bluerum	Jun 2012	#5
he'll do for America what he did with Bain	bigtree	Jun 2012	#6
Bain Ads Work	kemah	Jun 2012	#7
they also worked when he lost his attempt at Mass senate	magical thyme	Jun 2012	#9
Romney is hurting Romney	Aerows	Jun 2012	#8
Yea, but he impersonates police officers, so we know he's a law and order guy.	mikekohr	Jun 2012	#10
I agree	Andy823	Jun 2012	#11
Let him run on his record as governor	cgnick	Jun 2012	#16
Why is being a businessman a good attribute for being a president?? WTF	madinmaryland	Jun 2012	#17
Teddy Rex...	Aviation Pro	Jun 2012	#18
Read Stiglitz book on Inequality in America for verbiage to use against Romney etc.	CarmanK	Jun 2012	#19
kick	grantcart	Jun 2012	#20
from the point of campaign strategy Bain MUST be made the central issue - it should be run over and	Douglas Carpenter	Jun 2012	#21