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"This came out of the heart of America and he went right at the heart of America....
"It was beautiful."
- Pat Buchanan.
No, really. Pat Buchanan. Go listen to him talk about Obama's speech.
Update: Political consultant firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and Democracy Corps watched Obama's speech with a focus group of undecided and leaning voters. From an email:
Denver, CO. August 29, 2008. On this historic evening, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner/Democracy Corps conducted qualitative research in the swing state of Nevada among 39 undecided voters or weak supporters of either candidate who watched Obama's speech. Participants answered a series of questions about the election, the candidates, and the major issues in this campaign. They then watched Barack Obama's acceptance speech live, followed by another series of questions on many of the same topics. Two follow-up focus group discussions with 21 of the participants allowed for significant exploration of reactions to the speech. While this was clearly a qualitative exercise and not a representative survey, the movement we saw in attitudes toward the election and Barack Obama was dramatic:
After viewing the speech, more than 1-in-4 of these swing voters moved from undecided to supporting Barack Obama or from supporting John McCain to undecided.
On a thermometer scale of 0 to 100, Obama's mean score rose 9 degrees (from 57 to 66 degrees) after voters saw his speech.
Obama achieved gains on every personal attribute tested in this exercise, with the most dramatic movement coming on some of the most important measures in our polling - 'on your side,' 'has what it takes to be President,' and 'will keep America strong.'
In a head-to-head match-up with John McCain on which candidate would better handle a series of issues, Obama again gained ground on every measure, with the most significant movement coming on 'national security,' 'strengthening America's relationships with other countries,' and 'sharing my values.'
In the focus group conversation after the speech - one group with those who shifted toward Obama and another among solidly undecided voters - it was clear that the introductory video and speech made a deep impression. Voters spoke emotionally about the importance of family to Obama and the central role that family plays in his life and his beliefs. They applauded his emphasis on personal and mutual responsibility, his commitment to veterans, and his refusal to engage in negative personal attacks on McCain. They came away with a firm belief that Obama understands the challenges facing our country, and particularly middle class and working families. Perhaps most importantly, from his plan to cut taxes for small businesses and the middle class to his commitment to alternative energy and victory in Afghanistan, they believe he has the right ideas to produce the change these voters desperately seek.
Voters in both groups cited the unique atmosphere at Invesco Field as one of the most memorable aspects of tonight's speech. They found the sheer size and scope of the event very impressive, but they were most impacted by the audience and the fact that it didn't look like a typical convention audience. Looking at the crowd tonight, they saw real people who reminded them of themselves and their neighbors, reinforcing the focus on the middle class that so many of them saw running through both Obama's personal story and his policies.
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's tooreckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher JohnHagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0--yes, zero--from the League of Conservation Voters last year.
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