In the aisles of Wal-Mart, Bain is a four-letter word
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has been battered by bad news dimming the outlook for his re-election, but he might find hope in an unlikely place: the aisles of Wal-Mart.
Female shoppers at the big-box superstore are viewed as crucial swing voters in the closely fought 2012 election, and a pair of recent focus groups suggest that Obama’s attempts to portray Republican rival Mitt Romney as a ruthless corporate raider might bear fruit.
Obama’s attacks on Romney’s private equity career at Bain Capital have been widely panned by pundits and even some prominent Democratic allies, like President Bill Clinton. But the blame-it-on-Bain approach might be hitting its mark with Americans outside Washington.
“The main thing I’ve heard that kind of scares me is … the whole Romney thing, where all these people, the factories that have been shut down where they’ve worked over 30 years and then they are left with nothing,” said Rebecca W., a participant in the Virginia focus group whose last name was not given. “That concerns me.”
In 1996, political strategists deemed suburban “soccer moms” – middle-class suburban women – as that year’s crucial voting bloc. Eight years later, “NASCAR dads” – blue-collar, usually white men – were seen as a key demographic to win over. In recent years it’s been “Wal-Mart moms,” who are similar to soccer moms but less affluent. Obama carried this group in 2008, but they voted Republican in the 2010 congressional elections.
Perhaps sensing a branding opportunity, Wal-Mart Stores Inc has financed the political study of its shoppers, although the retail chain had no part in the selection of participants. The moms all shop at least monthly at the retail giant and were screened to exclude strong partisans of either party.
Rebecca, who voted for Republican John McCain in 2008 but is undecided now, was among 10 women taking part in a focus group in Richmond, Virginia,
You can read the rest of this article at:: http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/us-usa-campaign-moms-idINBRE85717G20120608
Short URL: http://thepresidency.us/?p=16983
Posted by RobertButler
on Jun 8 2012. Filed under 2012 Presidential Campaign.
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