Subject: RE: Focus Group Guide Edits
From: "Andrew Baumann" <[email-masked]>
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]>
Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 12:34:51 -0500

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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