Joe Klein visited a focus group:
“Change” as a theme is over. Too vague. And Obama’s rhetoric has begun to seriously cut against him. “No more oratory,” one woman said. “Give us details.”
I always wonder about this stuff. I mean, it’s inconceivable to me that this woman is genuinely yearning to learn more about the details of Obama’s policy agenda. If she actually wanted to know, she could, you know, look into it. She could learn all about the differences between auctioning emissions permits and giving them away, about the implications of having the federal government provide reinsurance for catastrophic medical expenses, about the case for a permanent R&D tax credit, etc., etc. But all indications are that most people find politics boring, and policy details duller still. And swing voters, which is what this was a focus group of, are least interested of all.
My guess is that people’s self-reports in these kind of situations are almost valueless. People want to express opinions that they think will be validated by others. The idea that Obama isn’t specific enough is both widespread and sounds high-minded, so it’s something that people looking to say something bad about him say even though I don’t see any evidence that his speeches are less specific than anyone else’s.
Absolutely true. If someone actually cared to go and discover more in-depth policy details of a particular candidate, the information is certainly available! For example, I rarely actually watch Obama or McCain speak on TV, and yet I consider myself more than adequately informed about the details of their economic policies. This does seem like an instance of searching for negative qualities in Obama. It is just like when he first announced his candidacy. Recall that most pundits accused him of not having enough experience to fill the role of the presidency. This was the biggest concern. Also note how we don't seem to hear this argument much anymore.
Also, I acknowledge that Obama has a tendency to offer platitudes and speak in the abstract, but certainly no moreso than his opponent.
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