Drew Angerer/ The New York Times
Read the article from the NYTimes about Obama's "backyard strategy". Do you think this strategy will help the Democrats win elections this November? Why or why not? Include your reasoning (referring to content in the article) when you answer these questions in the comment section.
50 comments:
I think the backyard visits will help the Democrats in November. People tend to vote for candidates they can relate to, and these casual conversations make Obama (representing the Democrats) seem more relatable.
I do not think that these backyard talks will help democrats win any elections. Although Obama tries to act like a normal American and listen to everyones concerns, it's obvious he can't do that. He is still the president reagrdless if he's in your backyard or at the whitehouse, and most people won't tell him their concerns and ideas in person. I think that in the long run they might help Obama, but I doubt they will change anyones mind before November.
I agree that doing these "backyard visits" will help the Democrats win the election because he's sort of showing emotion towards the people who attend by responding to everyone's questions. I think he wants the people to know that he's just an average person too, and like it's explained in the article, he needs some "time away from the White House."
I am not too sure about this strategy. Obama needs to take more risks, and talk to people who have not been forwarned. If Obama just knocked at my door and asked to come in, I would be more inclined to talk with him. Sure,he would need a cameraman, maybe a guard or two, bit a personal and real talk would get better results with the American public I bet!
I do think that these "bakyard visits" will help the Democrats during the election. These Ray's Hellburger visits paint President Obama as caring and make him more approachable. The story sites a certain visit where nobody would speak up to tell the President what they thought, good or bad. Having more of these visits and acting more like a normal citizen will make voters feel less nervous and distant around Mr. Obama. I think this will have the same effect as it had in the 2000 elections, where Mr. Bush won because people would rather have a beer with him then the other candidates. It will also open President Obama to new ideas an criticicism hich could potentially make him and the rest of the Democratic party much stronger.
I think this backyard strategy that Obama is using will help the Democrats in the upcoming elections. According to the text, Republicans are saying that Obama does not appear comfortable in these settings. I think that saying this makes Republicans seem very critical, like they are attacking Obama. Most Americans will see that Obama is meeting with everyday people they can relate to and see this as a good thing, which will make the Democratic party look good and help their chances this November.
I agree with Nora, I also think that this will help the democrats in November. In the article it said that some people had said that they thought that Obama comes off as to professional or distant at times an this will
bring him closer to the public. I also think it's good that the government isn't filtering who is allowed at the backyard visits because that makes them seem really genuine.
I think these "backyard sessions" are a good idea in theory. They are designed to make Obama seem to be more relatable and real to people. I think the idea is people will ask more important questions in a less formal setting. But everyone at this session seems tobafraid to ask anything, so it ends up as just wasted time. If nothing comes from these sessions Obama's opponents will argue that he wastes his time socializing and doesn't make any policies. If the public does not see any progress soon Obama will lose their support.
I believe that these backyard visits could sway a couple of voters towards the democrat candidates but not enough to have a reasonable impact. I believe however that these backyard chats could have a much bigger impact in the 2010 elections if Obama decides to run for reelection. Then people might vote for him because he seems relatable.
I kind of like the fact that Obama said that the people in the backyard could ask him anything. I think it shows he can address what people want to talk about, not just what he wants to talk about.
These backyard visits are an attempt at making Obama seem like a personable, down to earth man. These visits will help him win votes unless he makes a major blunder in what he does or says in these times. Another president that used this tactic was FDR and his famous fireside chats. If this strategy hurts his campain, I will be highly surprised.
I think it's a good idea for Obama to be doing the backyard chats because people want to be able to relate to and get to know their president. In the New York Times article Republicans are accusing Obama from being disconnected from the people, so he is trying to be change that. Obama wants to help the middleclass people who are having a hard time.
Obama's "backyard campaign" strategy might have a bit of a counterproductive effect for himself and the Democratic Party. As stated in the article, even in a casual environmnet the President can come off as too proffesional and not emotional. If he wants this strategy to work, he has to play the part of just the guy next door.
I think Obama's backyard visits may give democrats an advantage or end up being detrimental. I think that he's trying too hard and he could easily say the wrong thing. I also think it's good because the people he visits may be able to relate to him more and he's able to answer real questions by the people, but overall I think it will help Obama more than the democratic party in November.
I think that these "backyard jaunts" will help President Obama in the up coming electon. My reasoning is that he initally won the presidency with a grass roots campagn across America. His advantage in the 2008 election came from getting people who had never voted before to vote. Now he is returning to his original, and proven strategy for the 2012 election. I, on a more personal level would prefer a president who is professional and is someone who represents the country well. Because I want a professional president I don't find him distant and aloof at all so I can't really gauge how these actions will affect America's view of him. But as far as I know, doing these informal talks will make him see more colloquial and relatable in the eyes of the country.
Yes I think these backyard meeting will defintaly help the Democrats win the november elections. I think that when you go to someones own home and ask them how they feel about the economy and what they want, they will gain respect for you and it does make the conversation "intimate" like they said. Even though it can be hard to avoid the press, the people will still enjoy the visit. When someone tells you about their children's disorders or about then having cancer, and that the govenrment granted them money and helped them, that makes people like the democrats even more. If the press gets a hold of that information, it will make them look even better.
I think that in some places it will help the democrats in the up coming election. Many times is someone is undecided on who to vote for they vote for the person that they can relate to more. By Obama going into peoples backyards and trying to bring up topics such as the Redskins it makes him seem more like an everyday guy. This strategy may not get eveyone's vote but it I think it will help get the democrats some support in the election
I feel that what Henry said held wisdom. This strategy that Obama is employing should not hurt his campaign.he may have used it on a more effective method,but it will defonatly make a positive impact, even it's small.
Personaly I don't think Obama going to peoples backyard will make a huge diffrence for elections this November.Maybe the peoples backyards he visits will be more likely to vote for him, but just those new votes most likely won't make a difference that will create a huge impact. I do however belive that outing like going to rays hell burger, will make him have the sence of being more relatebal. Just for me the whole backyard get togethers are to fake.
I think that Obama will see good results after these backyard chats. It makes me think of Roosevelts fire side chats, in the fact that he is trying to get closer to the public and become a relatable figure. It was a risky move to allow people to ask whatever they please, but fortunately people are too shy to ask many important topics.
I think that Obama's backyard visits will help the Democrats in the upcoming November elections. These visits show Obama as being very personable and relatable which could attract voters who don't have a very strong party identification and are not really sure who vote for. If Obama has many more of these backyard visits they will probably have a more significant impact. It would also be more benneficial if people weren't as nervous to ask questions in that setting.
With Obama going to various homes to have these backyard chats, I do think it allows people see that he does care what people are stressing over and worrying about on a daily basis, but I do not think they are making a big enough impact to influence the upcoming elections. As it stated in the article, these backyard chats are purposely happening now because the Republicans are trying to paint a picture to many Americans that Obama is disconnected from the outside world, and is very different from many Americans. I think that probably many people have realized that one of the main reasons he is taking time to try and connect with people is so they do not think of him as a man who is disconnected with Americans to even recognize their problems. It was also said in the article that at Obama's most recent backyard chat, the neighbors were either nervous or felt too uncomforatable to share any of their real concerns because he comes off as a very professional/ bussiness type man, which many find very hard to relate to. For some Americans though, they might find these backyard chats as a very positive thing and see that Obama is trying to make the effort to reconnect with his fellow Americans. Overall, I do not personally think these talks will have a great enough influence on the election results, but they will probally make many Americans feel more involved and connected to Obama.
I don't think the backyard visits will help the democrats. The article mentions that Obama comes off to the public as distant and I don't think these visits are going to help if the participants aren't willing to open up. People are less likely to talk about issues when the president is right in their faces. In my opinion, Obama may come off as more intimidated than relatable.
Our main concern right now is how bad the economy is. By Obama going and talking to people in someones backyard is brilliant. He is allowing any average person to ask any type of question. But in the article it is stated that no one really asked questions. I don't like how Obama brought in people that benefited from the health care program. It is almost like he is sucking up to the average person about the benefits if the health care plan by touching stories. Obviously Obama is doing this to win over more democratics. If Obama wants more wins for the democratics he needs to get done what us Americans are concerned about. That will make the Democratic look way better than they do now.
I think the backyard visits could go both ways. The backyard visits could end up being a good thing because the the purpose of the backyard visits, as said in the article, could work by making the people feel like they can relate to him, which might cause them to favor him more. However on the flip side many people felt like Obama didn't fit in with the whole backyard visit and the neighboors who he was supposed to be forming relationships with were actually afraid to ask any questions. Additionally, if they had asked questions, as said in the article, there was a big chance that someone could ask a hard question that Obama would have trouble answering without making himself look bad. However, either way, although he may be relating to some people, I doubt that this method will influence very many people.
Although I think obama's talks are a nice gesture and will make a few people more comforted and likely to vote for democrats, overall I do not believe it will help the democrats win elections in november. As moran pointed out, Obama is now getting to see firsthand some of the displeasure Americans have with our current situation, and they also see him as being too professional. plus, people know that they were somewhat scripted visits where they handpicked some of the guests. In the long run it might help Obama bur I do not think it will change things for democrats in November.
I feel as though Obama going to other peoples home won't make a huge difference. It seems as if Obama lost the drive and ethusiasm as he once had while he was running for president. Obama should have been going to peoples home after he recently won the election but it seems as though it is a little late. But I will applaud Obama on passing the Health Care bill, which did benefit many people in need.
I think this strategy will help Democrats win the elections in November. These backyard chats make every day people feel closer to the president and it helps them explain there concerns about the issues.
I also believe that this will make more people vote in general. That whole feeling of my vote doesn't count will go away because any of their concerns can be said directly to the president. So I think the voter turnout will be higher and the fact that Obama is doing this it will help Democrats.
Americans know the least about Obama? What about Millard Fillmore? Also the sincerety of a backyard conference is hurt by it being scripted and the 1/5 Americans who think Obama is a Muslim need lobotomies.
This strategy might help the democrats if they can convince the general public the backyard disscusions are not rigged. But what I got from this was obama's administration is not above fixing public events to make him look more connected to the public. If anything, he is very distant from them if he has to put so many dummies in the audience. So these talks could easily backfire on him.
I think Mr. President's strategy of "Visiting Backyards" will help the Democrat Party to win the November election because I think that Obama was trying to connect with the Americans that have appreciated his work and also to show people that he is also an "average" American. People sharing their emotions and feelings to Obama will help him plan better for the future of our country.
I think the backyard visits will help the democrats win the elections this November. He's taking time to go to meet with small groups of average people and answer questions. He's relating to the people that he's talking to and he cares about their questions and comments that they have to share with him. He's showing everyone that he's a regular person and can relate to them and be emotional about there personal expirences. This is a good strategey because he's personally answering a question about the economy, heathcare, or whatever they want to ask.This will get a lot of people to like him and the democratic party.
I believe that these backyard sessions really will help the Democrats win the election because it makes the candidates and the president seem like regular people. Since President Obama represents the Democratic party, these visits make it seem as if he is trying to relate to his people and people will believe most Democratic candidates are the same. I think this is the best and smartest way for the Democrats to get votes this November.
I completly agree that president Obama's frequent "backyard visits" will help him connnect more with normal every day citizens and allow them to talk about what they think about the economy so far.. Standing in front of Americans that don't often witness Obama's presence will allow Americans to feel more comfrotable and relatable with him. Also as a result Democrats can win this upcoming election.
I think the backyard visits will help the democrats in the November election because these visits are showing that Obama is trying to reachout to regular citizens. I feel like if these visits continue it will have a positive effect on the November elections
I belive by doing this Obama is getting support and voters for the Democrats. By doing these Obama is connecting to the people more direct than indirect. He is responding to the peoples question with more emotion. Americans will relate to Obama when they see him in these "background chats". By reading this I feel that Obama cares about the american family problems.
David huaman
I thought that these backyard visits seem to be a good strategy for Obama, it gives him a chance to really relate to his voters. People usualy vote for a candidate that they can relate to. In the article though, there were comments that said Obama seemed distant, which doesn't seem very beneficial. But these comments were made by the republican party so it makes them seem too critical. Especially the comment in the article about how Obama wasn't really christian oriented,which was really wierd. This can make more people sympathize with Obama, which in turn is actually beneficial.
Obamas recent trips to these households don't seem like they will do much for the November elections, many of these visits seem to go be a little too convenient, for example what were the chances of these households having the woman that could pay off her bills cause if goverment or the child who needed special treatment could pay it off all cause Obamas got your back. These visits just seem a little I don't know fake....
I think that President Obama's backyard speeches should border on the line of casual and formal. If the Prrsident of the United States is een wearing a T-shirt and shorts, he would be ridiculed just as much as if he were to show up to someone's backyard wearing a suit and tie. If he comes to the presentation with a 'friend down the street' attitude, he is also prone to make errors concetning information and speech. A president should be somewhat presidential after all, even if our standards have lowered in the past two terms. XDDD
This strategy might help the democrats if they can convince the general public the backyard disscusions are not rigged. But what I got from this was obama's administration is not above fixing public events to make him look more connected to the public. If anything, he is very distant from them if he has to put so many dummies in the audience. So these talks could easily backfire on him.
This strategy might help the democrats if they can convince the general public the backyard disscusions are not rigged. But what I got from this was obama's administration is not above fixing public events to make him look more connected to the public. If anything, he is very distant from them if he has to put so many dummies in the audience. So these talks could easily backfire on him.
I do not think that the backyard strategy will work effectively for the democrats. The people can never and will never think of the president beyond his power. This is probably why few people spoke up at the "backyard meeting". Unless Obama moves into the suburb and lives there (which won't happen), he will never connect well with the people, and they will not think of him as just an American. Be that as it may, I do not think that this will draw votes away from democrats.
I feel that Obama going out and meeting with everyday Americans is a brilliant idea. When he goes out to eat at neighborhood restaurants and has meetings with the public in their backyards, it shows that our president genuinally cares and makes him seem like a regular guy. This, I think, will help the democrats a lot in the November elections.
I think that these "backyard talks" will help the democrats in November but not significantly. These talks are to prove that he is similar to his supporters. The Obama supporters will enjoy his efforts but I don't believe that these talks are genuine and will influence the citizens that are on the fence about him. These talks would be more effective if he was more natural in these type of settings like Kevin Duberstein said.
I think that the back yard visits will not help Obama and the democrats. I say this because the people that Obama talks to or will be talking to won't tell him all of their concerns about the economy or whatever they think. Even if Obama asks them to tell him some concerns they won't because the camera will be on them and they won't want to feel comfortable telling him. Also Obama going with all his body guards, camera people, and his assistance won't make it seem as just a regular conversation with the people. This strategy will probably help them a little but I don't think the democrats are going to win.
Obama has always tried to appeal tto the average man;and this is no exception . I truly believe his stragedy will help the democrats I the upcoming election a
nd it will also help americans opinion in Obama. by doif this Obama will become more aware of Americans problems with health care and the exonomy.
Its pretty obvious that Obama is trying to relate to the average american citizen, but I believe that he does care about American citizens especially the middle class, and it is one of his biggest goals as a president, to get the economy going again. Obama is doing these talks to reassure people of the states, not just to make him self look good. Once all the talks in other states that include out spoken republicans start to happen, America will see that he is doing his best to inform the public of current economic situations. I don't know if these so called visits will dramatically pay off in the elections, but I think the public opinion of Obama will rise in the long run and he will be successful in his major goals in his presidency.
I think this will help Obama and the Democrats. People always like it when a politician listens to what they have to say. This is not the reason why the Democrats will win more seats than expected. The reason is that the tea party is so partisan, and many swing voters and even moderate Republicans might have a hard time voting for a Tea Party candidate.
I don't think that these backyard talks will help the Democrats win the elections in November. If Obama is supposed to be the prime example of the democrat party, then he's not setting a very good example. These backyard talks exhibit characteristics of a poor leader, who is uncomfortable with and disconnected from the general public! The article explains that Brayshaw's neighbors "were either too polite or nervous to speak up". If these people aren't comfortable with the president of the United States, then how can they be comfortable with the democratic party.
I think that the backyard visits will help the democrats in a way for people to show that the president isn't as distant and more relatable then this high authority figure. This also makes people feel as if the president care about every individuals needs by actually spending his time visiting these neighborhoods than spending that time doing something else.
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