How To Win The Low Information Voter

I've had conversations with two undecided voters in the past two days. 

Though these "low information" voters were recently spoofed in a hilarious "Saturday Night Live" skit, let's really examine these voters.  

I (and you, since you are reading this blog) are "hyper-engaged" in the political process.  We forget that many voters will go the polls in November because they appreciate the right to vote--but they don't hang on every twist, turn, or talking point in the campaigns.

They hear the negative ads and hate them. They talk about wanting the election "over."  To them, the constant noise is a cacophony of negativity that makes them weary. They are not analyzing every tactical move by each campaign and leaning toward one candidate then another.

During the last week of the campaign, they'll "go with their gut" and decide.

That's why the "bandwagon" effect, of which I've posted before, is so important. Some of these undecided voters will simply go with the candidate for which a win seems "inevitable."  Many candidates put up all those yard signs to create the effect.

That's why I agree with Sean Trende that the last debate had more of an impact on the election than many debates previously. The Obama campaign has successfully run a "bandwagon" campaign. Voting for Obama has been "hip," or made the Obama supporter part of a larger movement.

For the first time, the narrative has changed in a way that has caused the Obama bandwagon to lose a wheel.  His campaign hopes the upcoming debates will switch the narrative.

But Obama has a bigger challenge in the upcoming debates that many of his supporters are willing to admit.

Tara and I have often talked about the way that supporters of one candidate develop a deep, personal disdain for the opposing candidate. 

So Obama supporters will say that the President was either off his game or too nice in the last debate.  They expect Obama to be more forceful in his attacks in the next debate.

But that viewpoint refuses to take into account that Mitt Romney is a talented debater.  So, if the President gets aggressive...or simply screams, "liar, liar, pants on fire" repeatedly at the next debate, he will win, right?

The Republican in me suspects that, even if the President wets himself and falls off the stage next time, our media overloads will scream, "comeback!"   But I am willing to give Romney credit for fully being capable of holding his own regardless of the opposing strategy.

Whose bandwagon will be running smoothly when the low information voter decides?