What a focus group thought of Obama

Sampled here are black voters, Democrats, independents and Republicans.

No matter what Obama said, there will always be someone who complains, "That's not good enough."  Based on the circumstances, Obama hit it out of the park with that speech.

Comments

[bacalove]

Due to the divisions Camp Clinton initiated into the political society at this time, Obama had to address Race, which turned out to be a good thing and hopefully will begin to heal the division instituted by the Clintons. Obama has shown through this contoversy that he is a true leader. Obama wants a force for good, for groping and solving our problems which effect us today and have not really been addressed or solved. We have to do something new for the old ways have not worked. He has shown by his willingness not to go negative, not to get angry, not to be critical, that he indeed, represents something new and a leader for our times who can work with both Democrats and Republicans.

Unfotunately, there are some who want to continue the Rev. Wright controversy for their own selfish ends. Rev. Wright did not preach hate every day like some want to suggest, and seem so shocked that he, and he alone, only preached this way, not unlike some Right-Wing preachers who sit with presidents today. Pundits like Joe Scarborough, Pat Buchanan, and others who want to continue to sow division, represent the very things they say about Rev. Wright -- hatefulness divisiveness, extremists, and all the ugly things that go along with that type of personality and are a part of the old ways that we want to move away from as we are trying to build a more sane, untified, holistic society, filled with goodwill instead of hate. As long as we have pundits and media who prefer to concentrate on our differences and expoit them, they constitute an impediment, a wall to the very kind of unity we are trying to build. These pundits should not be allowed to make big salaries while they continue to tear America down and apart. They are no friend to America. These pundits like to talk about white, blue collar workers, and what they really want, as if they really represent them with their cushy salaries. However, I am part of the average joes who grew up in up-state New York, and Joe, Pat, and other divisive media personalities, average working people are willing to hear what Obama has to say, white and black, men and women, because they are more concerned about their pocketbooks than continuing a race/gender divide. They don't want to see this Unity, because with unity there is power, a force, either for good or bad but it is a powerful force.

Barack Obama is asking America to put anger aside, to heal, to walk over that bridge in reconcilliation. That is why he, uniquely, can work with Republicans while being a Democrat. America we must demand better of our leaders, politicians and media if we are to survive the herculean problems facing us today. We cannot continue to let the forces of separatism tear us apart, the stakes are way too high. We can demand better and we can do better. It is in us to overcome if we do not let these forces continue to fan the flames of hatred and fear.

It is time for Party Leaders to step in and end Hillary's destructive quest to gain the White House. that She cannot win and only further tears apart not just the Democratic Party apart but also the United States in this quest for power. If she was running for office in a more unifying and ethical way, then I would say more power to her, but she is not. She has run amuck and against Democratic core principles and seems more Republican like than Democratic. As for the Iraq war, Hillary Clinton has no credibility. She can do all the speeches on Iraq that she chooses but no one really believes her. She represents the past ways of doing things which are negative and impediments to the qualities of goodwill and unity which we are trying to implement in a more holistic society.

Obama has passed his test and has set out a vision for America that must not be denied, or should not be denied. Now it is up to Party leaders to be Leaders and end this divisive quest for power of the Clintons and bring unity to the Democratic Party and possibly a greater union to this country. If we really love America we must come together, our problems are too great.

[Michel]

I love how they had these groups evaluate the cut up version of his speech, only showing the stuff related to the controversy that I think should never have been an issue in the first place.