… Delphic, With a Lean to Obama
” Nothing is more pointless or more irresistible than to try to predict the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election. It’s pointless both because so many resources and so much energy has been spent on the forecasting effort up until now and because in just a few days the results of the 2012 election will be universally known. But it’s irresistible because human beings are hardwired to try to figure out the future and because the contest is so dramatic and consuming.
For what it’s worth, at Via Meadia we stand pretty much where we’ve stood for the last year: the President has a slight edge in a close race. Governor Romney foiled the President’s effort to marginalize his candidacy and brand him as a radical by solid performances in the debates and overall an impressive fall campaign, but his momentum in the polls never quite gave him both the national and swing state edge he needed to become the frontrunner. “
” The only thing holding us back from predicting an Obama win Tuesday is this prediction of a Romney win by Michael Barone. Barone is without a doubt one of the deepest students alive of American electoral politics and his encyclopedic knowledge of local politics in major states plus his level headed judgment are particularly valuable when, as now, the polls are so close. Barone is a conservative thinker but he isn’t a cheerleader. He wouldn’t make this call if he didn’t believe it. “
Related articles
- Michael Barone Calls It for Romney (powerlineblog.com)
- Michael Barone Predicts Romney Will ‘Handily’ Defeat Obama (foxnewsinsider.com)
- Charles Krauthammer: It Will Be Very Close But Mitt Romney Will Win the Presidency (foxnewsinsider.com)
- MICHAEL BARONE: Romney Beats Obama, Handily. Fundamentals usually prevail in American elections…. (pjmedia.com)
- Barone: Romney Likely to Pick up 315 Electoral Votes (pjmedia.com)
- 2012 Presidential Election Predictions (outsidethebeltway.com)
I sure agree with you. Pointless, irresistible – and fun! Like handicapping a sports event, or calculating your odds at blackjack. It’s an issues-free exercise in game strategy.