Interesting Poll Conducted

This is from MSNBC's First Read Blog Email:

RICHMOND, VA -- With the intense focus on the Democratic presidential contest -- the latest chapter is Obama's New York Times interview on Iran -- it's safe to say that not as much attention so far has been devoted to the GOP race. That's why a focus group here last night of 12 Republican voters, conducted by pollster Peter Hart (D), was so illuminating. For the most part, these voters -- seven men, five women, all of the white, all of them Bush voters in 2004 -- are disappointed with the president, fairly undecided about the GOP field, and pessimistic about the nation's direction. How pessimistic? Not a single one thought that the next generation would be better off, which is a striking attitude.

*** Still Undecided: Turning to the GOP horserace, four of the 12 said they would vote (or were leaning to vote) for Giuliani, another three picked Thompson, two chose Romney, two went with McCain, and one said both Thompson and Huckabee. Interestingly, just one of the 12 -- a Giuliani voter -- said he was solid with his pick. Not surprisingly, the Rudy supporters cited his leadership and 9/11; the Thompson people pointed to his personality; the Romney supporters talked about his experience and presidential looks; and the McCain folks mentioned his experience and heroism. On the flip side, five of the 12 said they had reservations about Romney's Mormon faith, although two of them said that they could change their mind if Romney tried to persuade them. (On that question, per the Politico's Mike Allen, Huckabee won't call Mormonism Christianity in a CBS interview.) A couple cited problems with Rudy's personal life and multiple marriages -- although some of the more socially conservative group members said it wasn't fair to judge him -- but more were troubled by his position on social issues. Asked to choose between Romney and Rudy, Giuliani won, 7-5, (but much of the support wasn't solid).

*** But Ready For The General? While these Republicans were divided on the GOP candidates, they weren't divided on the Democrats. None of them said they'd vote for any of the Democratic front-runners. "Anybody but Hillary," said one. Even those who expressed concerns about Romney's Mormon faith said they'd have no problem voting for him in the general election. "Being a Democrat is worse than being a Mormon," said another. For Democrats, this suggests that their eventual nominee would face stiff opposition, no matter the perceived flaws with the GOP nominee. That said, despite their low opinion of Hillary Clinton, none of them questioned that she was strong or competent. That was a revealing finding to Hart, who said it was akin to Democrats