Some More Straight Talk.... "I'm John McCain and I approved this message"

I know, I know, I'm appealing to the rational. By any reasonable standard, this election shouldn't even be close, but it is--according to most polls. Those who are going to flip the contest--the ones who float from side to side and form their views on superficial impressions--are more likely to decide on a gut reaction. The conservatives know very well how to play this game. It's a bi-polar exercise: fear, and reward (by obeying Big Brother).

I think the rational arguments and the parade of facts obviously appeal only to those who are interested in them. The rest have impressionable minds swayed by simplified emotional appeals. [I'm glad I'm not running for public office] Yes, it's important to keep presenting the truth and supporting evidence, because many Americans require them. But, we have to find a way to reach the gut of a few million Americans.

The presidential game has now turned as it has in the past: winning the swing states. As the Current Election Polls (on the right sidebar) show, McCain has a slight lead in the Electoral College. But, Mac cannot afford to lose any state. Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, have been going back & forth. Nevada and Colorado may go from Red (2004) to Blue, and NM remain in the Blue column.

I have many progressive friends who are fretting that Obama may lose. Of course, everything is possible in this more-conservative-than-we-like country. But, here's some good news. Obama has been registering millions of new voters in a way not seen before. Will they vote? Who knows. However, those who are not register cannot vote.

The other plus is that the new registrants are Americans under 35 years old--a group that favors progressives by a large margin. Also, many of them don't have landlines to be polled like the rest of the country.