The Reviews are in... Obama is the winner
Fox (Frank Luntz): You've got a clear winner here... Obama is the winner. (Based on the focus group of Iowa voters he conducted which showed that Obama won over converts through his performance. Full transcript below.)
ABC (Klein): "...Obama still gets applause by saying we should have figured out how to get out of the war before we got in. Clearly Democrats still care about who was against the war from the start..."
LINK
Washington Post (Cillizza): "Obama: On Message": "A nice moment for Obama: Remind voters of his initial opposition to the war and cast himself as the unconventional candidate in the field." LINK
ABC (Goldman) "Dems Come out Swinging on Experience vs. New Vision": "With the debate focused in its first moments on Obama, the first-term senator took the opportunity to lighten the mood. 'To get ready for this debate I rode the bumper cars at the state fair,' he said. LINK
Focus Group Transcript: Worth the read...
Luntz: Our respondents here have a very interesting reaction. How many of you walked in here backing Barack Obama as your first choice? Raise your hands.
(Few hands go up.)
Luntz: How many of you honestly thought Obama won the debate?
(Clear majority of hands go up.)
Luntz: Almost everybody.
Frank: Now you are not a supporter of his but you thought he won why?
Participant: I feel that the first ten minutes of the debate pile on Barack. They were attacking him and his comeback to about going to the fair, practicing bumper cars to practice for the debate it immediately put the man in control.
Frank: So you liked his humor
Participant: He was sincere, he was comfortable with himself
Frank: Christian?
Christian: I think he continues to demonstrate that he's got a nuanced approach to the answers and he understands that they are not easy and he is willing to look at all siudes and involve that in his policy.
Frank: more than any other candidate?
Christian: More than any other candidate and he's more precise with how he responds.
Frank: You also were not an Obama person but you thought he won. Tell me why?
Participant: I thought he was very relaxed and very honest and he seemed very open. Willing to answer any question straightforward.
Participant: he seemed very sincere. I was disappointed in Edwards I came in here as an Edwards supporter. And he just seemed too staged too not with it. Obama just seems to stand behind what he says.
Frank: was that enough to change your support?
Participant: At this point yes
Frank: Did anyone else switch from who they came in here for
Participant: Hillary
Frank: Hillary to...?
Participant: I probably would say more Barack Obama now.
Frank: How many of you thought that she was the biggest disappointment of the debate, raise your hand
Frank: Why? Did she not look presidential to you
Participant: She looked very staged. She looked very cold and I was fairly disappointed coming in as a Hillary supporter. Im not saying that it changed my view, but it did disappoint me quite a bit.
Frank: Tell me why?
Participant: She came across as being very, she was very outgoing and very in control but her answers were wishy washy.
Frank: Great. That was, you've got a clear winner here you've got Obama is the winner. Hillary Clinton is the disappointment of the debate. You know that every time that we do this there is a different answer, there is a different response based on the people that we have here at Des Moines University, but one thing is for clear, Obama is getting better and better as time goes on. The language he uses, the way that he presents himself, his use of facts and figures, he's becoming a whole candidate and I think you'll see that in the polls in the coming weeks.
