What I find most fascinating is Jughead's obsession with the RCP daily average, as if this is some kind of 'secret pulse beat' into the heart and mind of our political souls. As if the numbers he analyzes are indicative of individual perceptions or thoughts on a daily basis. As if our collective mind can't make itself up, and we are conflicted between which of these men we support for president. We wake each day like Groundhog Day, not knowing who we plan to vote for... we scope out the latest scuttlebutt at the various 'cites' (as Jughead calls them), and we formulate our individual pick of who we will support based on what 'media' has to say about what the candidates have said. Then RCP calls us and we give Jughead all this information to discern and run here to tell us how America is waking up and seeing the light now! All the sudden!
The thing is... I happen to think a large majority of us, already knew how we would vote in this election two years ago, or more. Nothing has really changed that would sway that opinion, and that will continue to be the case in the foreseeable future, until some 'unifying' voice emerges and forms a counter-dynamic to the left-right extremism currently driving both parties. It doesn't matter if you are left, right or center, that pretty much is the reality of the world we live in. Jughead lives in a completely different world, along with Desh and many others, who simply have a 'sheep' mentality, and follow the memes from their sheep herders. Right now, that is to do everything conceivably possible to help Obama win... doesn't matter if it's honest or dishonest, civil or uncivil, or even ethical in any imaginable sense, as long as it is effective at manipulating perceptions and generating a sense of winning for Obama.
I just hope their mentality toward Obama losing will be the same as their mentality toward Obama's failures to deliver on virtually ANY of his promises. ....Oh well, at least he tried! ....Oh well, at least Liberalism tried! Maybe after this, they will resign themselves to the fact that, like Gitmo, you can't always DO what you believe you can do and want to do. Sometimes, you have to settle for a necessary evil, and you can't fix the problems as simply as you thought. Things are more complicated in the real world, than in a college philosophy or sociology class. Platitudes and promises SOUND good, but what beneficial purpose do we gain from simply hearing them articulated in speeches?
The polls are split, Jughead. The nation is divided. This fundamental isn't going to change in the next few weeks, and perhaps not even in our lifetime, I don't know. The question of who will win this election is only found in analysis of who is going to actually go to the polls and vote, and we won't know that for certain until election day.