The Chance of Salmonella Outweighs the Guarantee of a Nasty Strain of E. Coli

Author David Sedaris on undecided voters:

"I look at these people and can't quite believe that they exist.  Are they professional actors? I wonder.  Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?  To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane.  The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. 'Can I interest you in the chicken?' she asks.  'Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?'  To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

I found D. Sunshine Hillygus's lecture on the political science view of the presidential campaign and the persuadable voter to be quite interesting.  The way undecided voters are narrowed and targeted with certain "wedge" and moral issues was intriguing to me.  I never realized how specific candidates could get in singling out certain "undecided/persuadable" individuals and feeding them less nationally discussed campaign issues that may sway how they vote.  But I share in David Sedaris' sentiment that this presidential race seems to leave little to be undecided about.  Additionally, it was great to see the breakdown of the considerations in the analyses predicting the election outcome.  Things look good for the Obama supporter.  The certainty of political scientists and Hillygus's willingness to bet on an Obama win is reassuring in view of all the banter happening on the news and the endless (and often redundant) campaigning.

Although all the number analyses point towards an Obama win, the section of Hillygus's presentation entitled "The Trenchant Irony Story," revealing the limitations of the predictions and why McCain could "pull it off," makes me worry about a repeat of the 2000 election and another Gore-y disappointment (this reminds me of the Sarah Silverman video for The Great Schlep when she talks about Florida).  It was disheartening enough that upon returning home, I found solace in making another donation to Obama - a kind of shopping splurge for the politically depressed, I suppose.  However, I have faith in the Democratic vote, especially with, seemingly, more Republicans announcing their endorsement of Obama (i.e. Colin Powell - someone on Hardball noted if his decision had been about race, he would have come out in support of Obama a long time ago).  I feel Democrats are more motivated this year to change the status quo.  Also, young voters, who seemed to fail us in the previous election, are more politically engaged perhaps due to the inability to overlook our country's pressing and obvious setbacks.  At the same time, we can't take the predictions as Gospel and should keep up our guard and enthusiasm.  As Obama reminds us, Democrats shouldn't be overconfident ("then he boarded Air Force One, blasted 'We Are the Champions,' and shouted, 'I'm king of the world!'" - Amy Poehler, SNL Weekend Update).

I'm with you on the electoral college, Ashley, it's kind of bullshit.  The voice of the people seems better represented by the popular vote.  I think this is why some (or perhaps many) people are turned off by the election and don't vote, holding the belief their say doesn't really count in the end.  This is probably especially true for young people, who may feel they have little power within many institutions in the U.S., subsequently leaving them to feel their opinions are not taken seriously by our "elders" who should be on the edge of their seats with ears like a bat.  So "gather ye rosebuds while ye may," let's hone our political edge, become professionals in the art of controlling our environment and give them something to echolocate.