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Michigan Independents Not Wooed By Palin
The Latest on Air America — From a panel conducted by the Detroit Free Press. Seems that they ran out of kool aid in Michigan. More here. “Sarah Palin came across as the small town girl who made good. I knew that I disagreed with her on some issues before this evening. After listening to her speech … it appears that once she makes up her mind, that is the end of it. We live in a gray world, not every answer is black and white.” -- Diane Murphy, 42, Sterling Heights independent “I was completely underwhelmed. She was a Republican novelty act with a sophomoric script. It ...

I missed the Big Speech...
Blah3 Feed — ... And the Detroit Free Press asked voters of all stripes what they thought of the speech, and the responses seem to indicate that Republicans love her and Democrats don't. No surprise there. But read the responses from those who self-identified as independents - they seem singularly unimpressed. Here's a representative sample: ...

Palin bombs with voters in Michigan: "I was completely underwhelmed. She was a Republican novelty act with a sophomoric script. "
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth — ... On the other hand, real Americans weren't so overwhelmed. Check out these comments from a focus group conducted by the Detroit Free Press (in that key swing state of Michigan): ...

Around the Web: 2008
The Corner on National Review Online — ... to Be Wake-Up Call for GOP The Washington Post [image] Politics of Mortality Politico [image] [image] Obama Discusses Economy in Eastern Ohio The Columbus Dispatch [image] Biden Brings Town Hall to Sarasota Sarasota Herald Tribune [image] Democrats Criticize G.O.P. Convention The New York Times [image] [image] State of the Race Palin Wows GOP, Puts Dems On Notice Politico [image] Lieberman's Act Riles Colleagues Roll Call [image] Voter Panel Reacts to Palin's Speech Detroit Free Press [image] 09/04 11:22 AM ...

Does Palin Have Independent Appeal?
Real Clear Politics - TIME.com — The Obama campaign emails out these unfavorable reactions to Palin's speech by Independent voters from a panel hosted by the Detroit Free Press. Here's one example: "I was completely underwhelmed. She was a Republican novelty act with a sophomoric script. It was not even a speech I would expect for a someone running for the local PTA, much less for vice president." -- George Lentz, 66, Southfield independent It's too early to tell how Palin's speech will play with Independents and undecideds around the country. Keep in mind that we are speaking about one speech - albeit it a ...

"She seems like a real fighter, someone who would stick it to the lobbyist and special-interest groups that have run ramped in Washington."
Althouse — Writes one of the Detroit Free Press readers who are weighing in on Sarah Palin's speech: Originally, I was a not too happy about McCain’s choice for a running mate, Sarah Palin … However, after her speech tonight I am beginning to see her in a different light. She seems like a real fighter, someone who would stick it to the lobbyist and special-interest groups that have run ramped in Washington. Her perspective between Obama and McCain was brilliant. … Palin hit it on the nail, the Democratic Party is about big government and high taxes. McCain has walked the ...

The Morning After Palin
Taegan Goddard's Political Wire — The Detroit Free Press put together a panel of voters to listen to last night's Republican convention speeches and, much as I predicted last night, the independents were universally negative on Palin. In fact, they were more negative than the Democratic voters. Other interesting commentary: Howard Wolfson: "What I was particularly impressed with was her ability to stick the knife into Barack Obama with a smile and do it effectively. She was very, very good...  That shot at the end with she and her family on stage cradling the baby is priceless. ...

im-palin
skippy the bush kangaroo — the detroit free press had a panel of voters watch maggie o'connell's speech last nite. we can pretty well discount what the repubbbs said ("luved her!") and what the dems said ("hated her!"), so we will bring you a smattering of what the independents thought: ...

Biden's Challenge
Taylor Marsh — ... Posts in the progressive blogosphere are showing up diminishing what happened last night, including pitbull pictures and stories of what angry animals do to people when provoked. Posts like these worry me. Not only are they juvenile and miss the point. But they prove some progressives just don’t get the power of Sarah Palin. It’s deadly for Democrats. We also can’t simply hope that a small voter panel represents registered voters. ...

A Real Missed Opportunity for the GOP
The Anonymous Liberal — ... is either entirely unknown, or is known as an US Weekly caricature of a woman who eats mooseburgers and has a pregnant daughter. To change someone's opinion, you have to do one of two things. Either, you have to be a trusted voice of authority, or you have to persuade them. Palin is not a trusted voice of authority -- she's much too new. But neither was this a persuasive speech. It was staccato, insistent, a little corny. It preached to the proverbial choir.And if this small focus group is any indication, many independents voters may have found the stridency of her ...

Palin's Speech Flops among Independents on Focus Group
News — ... Though Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) convention speech has received mountains of praise this morning from conservatives, independents who took part in a Detroit Free Press ...

Underwhelmed
Political Animal — UNDERWHELMED.... It might a little while until the political world has reliable data on the effectiveness of Sarah Palin's speech. What's more, I'd caution against putting too much stake in a couple of focus groups. But there's at least some evidence that Palin's speech, while popular with die-hard Republicans and media personalities, may not have connected with the rest of the country as well as the McCain campaign may have hoped. The Detroit Free Press conducted a focus group last night, and found that independents weren't impressed at all. They were looking for ...

Failin bombs with voters in Michigan
WTF Is It Now?!? — Some good news via AmericaBlog. Independent voters in a swing state focus group weigh in on the second coming of Saint Ronnie (Ronnette?) of Reagan, and are not impressed. ...

Convention Miscellany
The Next Right — ... Kevin Drum, Ezra Klein and Hilzoy all point to a focus group result that suggests Sarah Palin's speech didn't go over well with independents...  Over in Michigan, the Detroit Free Press put together a panel of voters to react to last night's speeches. Interestingly, the independents were universally negative on Palin, and in fact much harder on her than the Democrats were. Kevin Drum says "the snide mockery and withering sarcasm that both Palin and Rudy Giuliani ...

The In Crowd
The Mahablog — ... to the proverbial choir. It was also, as one of my commentors astutely noted, a speech written by a man and for a man, but delivered by a woman, which produces a certain amount of cognitive dissonance. The story is that the speech was a generic vice-president speech written before the Palin announcement and then adapted for Palin. If true, I think that’s extremely weird. This was a very small sample, but the independents on a Detroit Free Press panel were not impressed. McCain is not a great orator, so ...

What Constitutes Success for Palin?
Comments from Left Field — ... Further, anecdotal evidence, and there’s far too much to link to all of it here, is that the target independents and swing voters weren’t incredibly impressed by it (for a sampling check here, or you can check out the post I did earlier ...

Your Abbreviated Pundit Round-up (Special Edition)
Daily Kos — ... It's a good metaphor, a horse race, because in the end it finishes right near where it started -- just as it will be for America if John McCain and Sarah Palin are sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009. Yes, it was a great speech politically, and a great night for her family, but an empty speech for America -- and for America's families. It was defined by its lowest moment, Palin's shameless lie about "the Bridge to Nowhere." This was a Speech to Nowhere. Freep panel (Detroit): Mixed panel, Republicans liked it more than indies "Sarah ...

The Swooning Over Sarah...
Swampland — ... the vital sliver of voters in the middle, I think Palin’s rock solid social conservatism will be a turn off. And while voters may value vision over experience, Palin’s inexperience is a weakness, denying McCain an argument that has been helping him against Obama. It's not a real poll and therefore should be taken with an Alaska sized boulder of salt, but the Detroit Free Press asked a few swing voters to watch Gov. Palin's speech and then opine. You can read their reactions here: So that’s my concern with Sarah Palin. Interesting person, bad strategic choice to win the ...

ABC Touts Anti-Palin "Independents" Who Are Actually Anti-war Activists
Weekly Standard Blog — ... : "The Detroit Free Press invited a panel of Michigan voters to weigh-in on Gov. Sarah Palin's speech last night. Their reactions run the gamut, but the independents didn't seem to care for her very much." ...

Media independents
Betsy's Page — Friday, September 05, 2008 Media independents The Detroit Free Press assembled a supposedly representative focus group to comment on Sarah Palin's speech. It was rather notable, and frankly demoralizing, how negatively some of the independent voters reacted to her speech. Of the six independents quoted, five panned her speech. Well, not so fast. It turns out that some of those independents weren't all that independent. ...

ABC Touts 'Anti-war Activists' As 'Independents'
Hyscience — ... : "The Detroit Free Press invited a panel of Michigan voters to weigh-in on Gov. Sarah Palin's speech las:t night. Their reactions run the gamut, but the independents didn't seem to care for her very much." ...

Radical Code Pinkers Presented as 'Independents' In Det. Free Press Focus Group
NewsBusters.org - Exposing Liberal Media Bias — ... Back on September 3, the Detroit Free Press ran a feature asking local voters how they felt about Governor Sarah Palin's acceptance speech during the Republican National Convention. However, several of those identified as "independent" voters have turned out to be far from independent but are anti-war activists and members of the radical hate-group, Code Pink. Looks like the Detroit Free Press got snookered big time on this one. ...

Radical Code Pinkers Presented as ‘Independents’ In Det. Free Press Focus Group
Stop The ACLU — -By Warner Todd Huston [image] Back on September 3, the Detroit Free Press ran a feature asking local voters how they felt about Governor Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech during the Republican National Convention. However, several of those identified as “independent” voters have turned out to be far from independent but are anti-war activists and members of the radical hate-group, Code Pink. Looks like the Detroit Free Press got snookered big time on this one. The Free Press published the opinions of Ilene Beninson, 52, and Joellen Gilchrist, 64, as the opinion of ...