Conservative
Type 40
Ad With Former Obama Backers Deemed Most Effective | RealClearPolitics
Almost everyone in the group said they voted for Obama in 2008, but they were about evenly split between Obama and Mitt Romney in the 2012 race, with several still undecided.
Luntz showed the group more than a dozen negative TV ads funded by both presidential campaigns and outside groups and asked participants to rate on a scale of zero to 100 the impact of each ad, regardless of which candidate they are leaning toward.
A majority pointed to a 60-second AFP spot -- which has been running in swing states as part of a reported $27 million advertising blitz by the Koch brothers-backed group -- as the most effective ad of the current cycle.
In the ad, voters who cast their ballots for Obama four years ago speak directly to the camera about why they would not make the same decision in 2012. He said he was going to cut the deficit in his first term; Ive seen zero interest in reducing spending, one man says. He inherited a bad situation, but he made it worse.
Theyre telling you not to vote for Obama pretty much, but its not in a personal, negative way, one focus group member said of the ads approach.
By contrast, an American Crossroads spot that featured Obama interacting with various celebrities and mockingly referring to him as one cool president registered particularly low with the focus group.
The call for more bipartisanship was a common theme expressed throughout the session, and when asked to offer a word or phrase to describe politics in America today, a mess, just absolutely disgusting, and petty ideologues were among the most vivid responses.