When focus groups go wrong

WARNING: Video contains an expletive

It wasn’t quite a wardrobe malfunction.

But the suits at Fox News Channel probably wish they had a five-second delay or so following last night’s donnybrook between President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney..

Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who originally hails from West Hartford, Conn., was taking the temperature of a group of undecided voters in Nevada when one of his focus group members unleashed on the president.

“He lied about everything,” the male audience member declared. “He lied to get elected in 2008. That’s why I voted for him. I bought his bull.”

Memo to the guys in the control room or the guy holding the boom microphone: when someone says “bull” with a slight pause for effect, it might be wise to cue up the bleep button.

But they didn’t.

Yep, Luntz will be getting a call from the Federal Communications Commission today.

“He’s lied about everything. He hasn’t come through on anything. And he’s been bull shitting the public,” the man ranted.

Doh.

While most of his focus group laughed off the incident, Luntz interjected.

“You can’t do that. I apologize,” Luntz said.

It made for rather fun TV watching after the television break to see if the guy was still part of the focus group.

He was, but it was pretty clear that the crew member holding the boom mike wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole.