Subject: RE: Focus Group Guide Edits
From: "Andrew Baumann" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], "Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza" <[email-masked]>, "Kristi Fuksa" <[email-masked]>, "Ana Iparraguirre" <[email-masked]>, "Stan Greenberg" <[email-masked]>, "Anna Greenberg" <[email-masked]>, "Bryan Fisher" <[email-masked]>, "Huda Hussain" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Paul Begala" <[email-masked]>, "Tara McGuinness" <[email-masked]>, "Lori Lodes" <[email-masked]>, "Benjamin Jones" <[email-masked]>, "Susan McCue" <[email-masked]>, "John Podesta" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 12:59:57 -0500

Final version of guide is attached.  I added the following language to
address tempermant:

a)  Now, imagine someone walked in who had no idea who John McCain is.
How would you describe to that person who he is, what kind of person he
is?  

(1)         [If not covered probe on temperament] Some of McCain's
Republican colleagues say he is too "hotheaded" to be president.  Do you
agree?

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Matzzie [mailto:[email-masked]] 
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 12:41 PM
To: Andrew Baumann; Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza; Kristi Fuksa; Ana
Iparraguirre; Stan Greenberg; Anna Greenberg; Bryan Fisher; Huda Hussain
Cc: Paul Begala; Tom Matzzie; Tara McGuinness; Lori Lodes; Benjamin
Jones; Susan McCue; John Podesta
Subject: Re: Focus Group Guide Edits

Ok, the device is less rhetorical and more exploratory. I get that. We
have most of the bases covered EXCEPT for McCain's temper. We want to
include that somehow. Please suggest a cut or fit it in.

 

-----Original Message-----

From: "Andrew Baumann" <[email-masked]>

Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 12:34:51 

To:"Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza"
<[email-masked]>,"Kristi Fuksa"
<[email-masked]>,"Ana Iparraguirre" <[email-masked]>,"Stan Greenberg"
<[email-masked]>,"Anna Greenberg" <[email-masked]>,"Bryan
Fisher" <[email-masked]>,"Huda Hussain" <[email-masked]>

Cc:"Paul Begala" <[email-masked]>,<[email-masked]>,"Tara
McGuinness" <[email-masked]>,"Lori Lodes"
<[email-masked]>,<[email-masked]>,"susan
" <[email-masked]>,"John Podesta" <[email-masked]>

Subject: RE: Focus Group Guide Edits

 

OK 

 

----------------

From: Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza [mailto:[email-masked]] On
Behalf Of Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza

 Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 12:34 PM

 To: Andrew Baumann; Kristi Fuksa; Ana Iparraguirre; Stan Greenberg;
Anna Greenberg; Bryan Fisher; Huda Hussain

 Cc: 'Paul Begala'; [email-masked]; 'Tara McGuinness'; 'Lori Lodes';
[email-masked]; 'susan'; 'John Podesta'

 Subject: RE: Focus Group Guide Edits 

We need a few minutes over here. 

 

From: Andrew Baumann [mailto:[email-masked]] 

 Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 12:22 PM

 To: Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza; Kristi Fuksa; Ana Iparraguirre; Stan
Greenberg; Anna Greenberg; Bryan Fisher; Huda Hussain

 Cc: Paul Begala; [email-masked]; Tara McGuinness; Lori Lodes;
[email-masked]; susan; John Podesta

 Subject: RE: Focus Group Guide Edits 

See below for my reactions to your comments - in red. 

I also added the new Buchanan quote to "Endless War - Bush." 

Latest draft is attached.  If there are any further edits I need them
immediately. 

Thanks! 

 

----------------

From: Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza [mailto:[email-masked]] On
Behalf Of Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza

 Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 11:56 AM

 To: Andrew Baumann; Kristi Fuksa

 Cc: 'Paul Begala'; [email-masked]; 'Tara McGuinness'; 'Lori Lodes';
[email-masked]; 'susan'; 'John Podesta'

 Subject: Focus Group Guide Edits 

Andrew and Kristi, 

 I'm sure it's already accounted for, but we'd really like the moderator
to push people defending McCain to explain their positions in these
groups. If you could tip the moderator to explore any comments on his
temper, that would be great. - Done

 Specific edits

 Facts 

*         1: Should say he wants 100 years of war, and says he doesn't
care about the cost. - We decided with Tara yesterday that we cannot
make the "doesn't care about the cost" attack because that is not what
he said. 

*         2: Identify Reverend Jerry Falwell for context. Add language
about shifts from other positions: "In 2000 John McCain called Reverend
Jerry Falwell [identify him] an "agent of intolerance." This year he has
embraced Falwell and shifted his positions on abortion, taxes, and
immigration in an attempt to pander to the far-right." - Made the
Falwell change.  Do not want to add in abortion, taxes, immigration -
these facts should be a single item and not conflate multiple hits.  We
have the Flip-Flop hit in the next section for that. 

*         4: the attack is not a flip-flop on taxes it is that McCain
wants to make the Bush economic program permanent, including cutting
Medicare and Medicaid by $200 billion to pay for a permanent war in
Iraq. - Changed this to a straight hit on this taxes, which is a good
idea since we too the tax hit out of the next section.  Did not add
medicare/Medicaid as, again, that's conflating items and we have this in
the 3rd Bush Term attack 

*         4: Instead of "He" use "McCain" to be consistent with other
facts. 

Thematic Statements 

 

* Test 14 now. Include all but Security, Taxes, Iraq - Straight Hit. 

* 1: Add "McCain says 'he doesn't care what it costs him'" after "Yet
McCain proposes keeping our troops there for another hundred years." -
Again, agreed with Tara that we can't use this 

* 2: Add as final sentence, "We don't need another President who uses
war as the first resort instead of the last resort." - Stan wants us to
keep the rhetoric to a minimum with these, so leaving this out 

* 4: Please change to "says he will have to read" instead of just "will
have to read Alan Greenspan's book." - Done 

* 4: Add "John McCain can't solve our economy's problems, because he
refuses to admit they exist." - Rhetoric.  Would prefer to leave out 

* 4: See bolded addition. "With a housing market in crisis, increasing
prices, stagnant wages and the first drop in jobs in nearly 5 years the
next President needs to understand the real challenges facing our
economy.  But, like George Bush, McCain doesn't listen to public
concerns and insists that "the fundamentals of our economy will remain
strong" and that we're not headed for a recession." - Rhetoric, plus
this hit is already too long so would prefer to leav out 

* 5: Please use "McCain is out of touch on economic issues" and/or "how
can he understand the needs of average Americans" from the first draft.
Using one or both seems to tie the statements together better. - Again,
we have tried to eliminate rhetoric from this draft 

* 5: Changing the insinuation that McCain is worth 30 mn to "he and his
wife are worth up to 30 mn"  would be more accurate. - Done 

* 5: Use "opposition to a minimum wage increase from 5 to 7 dollars" to
be specific. - Done, but did he make this quote about that specific min
wage increase?  Ben? 

* 7: Begin with "Even though he campaigns against special interests
influence in Washington" - Hit is already too long.  Can't add this.  

* 7: "killed legislation" should be "helped kill legislation"  - Not
done per later email 

* 7: Change statement to specify "$24 billion dollars in tax cuts for
oil companies setting record profits." - Can we back this up, that he
has repeatedly voted for $24 billion in tax breaks?  My understand is
that was just one vote.  The vote in question is about $13 billion in
tax breaks.  Doesn't having two different numbers in there get
confusing? 

* 8: McCain has accepted $1.4 million from the health care industry -
add this, please.  Stan specifically asked that we take this out since
people are hesitant to make the link and this hit is already too long.
If you want to add it back we need to take out one of SCHIP, cutting
medicare or McCain's health care plan. 

* 11: See bolded addition. "McCain would be nothing more than a 3rd Bush
term. One Republican even said "McCain is Bush on Steroids" He has voted
with Bush 90 percent of the time overall and 100 percent of the time on
Iraq.  Like Bush, he would keep our troops in Iraq for decades.  McCain
supported Bush's veto of the children's health care bill, Bush's plan to
privatize social security Bush's tax cuts for millionaire and big
corporations." - Done, but this makes the hit too long.  Going to
replace "Mccain would be nothing more than a 3rd Bush term" with this.
Don't think we need both.  Evne with this change I had to cut out 

* 11: Change "100 percent of the time on Iraq" to "all key votes on
Iraq" - Done 

  

Rebecca 

 -- 

 Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza

 202-587-1652 [o] 

 919-423-4783 [m]

 [email-masked] 

  

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