Obama focus group dishes on Pelosi, Boxer, Brown and Whitman

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Sunday's Bee looked at what 12 Sacramento-area residents who voted for President Barack Obama had to say about how he's doing so far.

Participants in the two-hour focus group, conducted Thursday for the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, also opined about California's political climate. As they were asked in rapid succession about some candidates running for office this year, here's how the 12 voters described them.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Half of the participants identified Pelosi as "the face of Congress." They also called the San Francisco Democrat "strong," "shrewd," "powerful," "persistent" and a "leader."

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer: Very few of the mostly Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents participating in the focus group held any view of the three-term senator, but nine of the 12 said they hope she wins re-election. What words came to mind? "Progressive" and "longevity."

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown: His experience didn't seem to be much of a positive with these voters. They described the attorney general, who turns 72 Wednesday, as "outdated," "old" and "unelectable," but also "for the people."

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman: Whitman's big media buys and high-spending campaign made a mark with these Obama voters. They described the former eBay executive as "rich," "insincere," "big spender" and "scary." One quipped: "She thinks the state is eBay."

Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/04/05/1884401/the-buzz-obama-focus-group-dishes.html#ixzz0kHnr9lwb