It ain't over yet!

I’ve got myself in a bit of a predicament. I’ve always said I don’t believe polls, but I am excited by a trend in 2 of the major polls today. Rasmussen has Obama’s lead down to 3 points and Gallop has it down to 2. So am I giving up my lack of faith in the polls and embracing these numbers? NO! I don’t think the polls are much of an indication of anything except the volatility of public opinion. Again, I do not know 1 single person who has ever taken part in a poll. I think polls may show trends, but that is about it. My point is that you shouldn’t believe any of the polls, just get out and vote.

So, I say all that to say this. I have said for months not to believe the Hype or the endless prattle coming from the media. There is very little objectivity left anywhere, and anyone (including pollsters) can skew numbers anyway they want to say what they want. All I know is that this election is nowhere close to over and has never been. There are still a significant number of folks who have not yet made up their minds, and it could swing either way. I also believe that some will actually change their minds after entering the voting booth or standing in front of the touch screen. I heard several news stories out of Ohio last week on the early voting about just that. One lady actually said on camera that she was all set for months to vote for Obama, and then she just couldn’t do it and voted for McCain. The other problem with polls is that they often end up polling a lot of folks that don’t actually go out and vote, and they leave out many who refuse to be polled or are just quiet and then go vote.

I truly believe that the Obama campaign has become complacent in these last days and believes that a victory is virtually guaranteed. This is what Thomas Dewey thought in 1948 when all the polls had him with a huge lead over Truman. Well, we now know that the polls were very inaccurate because we’ve never had a President Dewey.

Tuesday is going to be a huge day for our country. We have a chance to vote in a president who will remain strong on defense, will let our troops win in Iraq, will cut your taxes, and will protect human life across the board. Or we may end up with a man who wants to spread your wealth around, will take our troops out of Iraq as losers, will be very soft with foreign leaders, and will surely raise your taxes and raise spending to all time highs. I didn’t even mention the half of it though. This man will not protect life, will socialize medicine, and will send the whole economy into a deep recession that we may not recover from. Which of these two men do you want to appoint new Supreme Court justices? I say John McCain. The differences are stark, and for me the choice is clear.

What ever you do, don’t listen to the hype. Don’t believe the talk of landslides and huge victory parties already being planned. Believe your heart and your love for your country, and get out and vote. Spread the word and don’t let up. Remember that hype is often trumped by real heart, experience, and skill. That is what the battle is here. Mr. Obama has all the money, all the media hype, all the swagger, and none of the experience or skill. Mr. McCain has the skill, knowledge, experience, and heart to lead. In the end I believe that substance will win out over fluff.

That’s my 2.5 cents. The fat lady hasn’t even warmed up just yet!