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Ah, the obligatory journalistic masturbation of the meaningless pre-election nonsense article:
The final sprint
Mike Zapler / Politico:In Kentucky, Democrats were crying foul over a last-minute GOP flier they called a dirty trick to suppress turnout. In Kansas, independent Greg Orman met the full brunt of a Republican machine determined to rescue one of its own. Louisiana’s Democratic …
And, of course, the caption to their stock photo: “This is the culmination of a trek that will determine whether Republicans control the Senate.”
Clearly they MEANT “calumniation,” and not “culmination.”
As we all know, ‘calumniation’ means, a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone’s words or actions.” Or, shorter, Election 2014.
But I have a slightly different take on the polling and the “common wisdom” that the election’s outcome is known.
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There are two things that no one mentions that go against common wisdom. (more “common” than “wise”).
First, the voters are REALLY PISSED OFF. Congress’ approval rating is 13%. And the voters aren’t as stupid as the pundits, who are sure that Obama’s 43% approval is the only number worth mentioning. And remember Eric Cantor. The GOPs and the Pundits just kind of ignored that.
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Let me reiterate: voters are REALLY PISSED OFF at four years of inaction, of blowing off the entire Latino vote, the entire Black vote, the Women’s vote, the student vote. The Veteran vote. And somehow, all the smokescreens don’t really work if you’ve been personally screwed by the nonaction of the do-nothingest congress of all time.
Second: Obama’s team started working on this election starting the day after the election in 2012. OFA changed from Obama For America to Organizing for America, and from the solicitation letters, I know they pulled in cash every day since.
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Remember: Obama confounded the pollsters with this approach, which mines voters the way that data-mining mines facts. There was some talk about it in Colorado.
[And, even in 2012, it was becoming apparent that the old-school methods of polling were NOT working so well anymore.]
Yes, the Kochs have spent millions on a “ground game” but that’s not how ground games work. They’re about networks of pe0ple, and about all sorts of intangibles that can’t be bought. Certainly not in one election cycle.
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So, we may ALL be very surprised come Tuesday. This has all the hallmarks of a “wave” election, but not in the direction of the Tea Party.
That is what I see under the radar, while everyone else fights the LAST war. I believe the R’s STILL haven’t figured out Obama’s voting machine.
Obviously, we shall see. But I don’t believe the crystal balls.
Heck, I don’t believe most of the pundits have any balls at all.*
[* cf. AC/DC.]
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Courage.
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Mr. Williams has a lively blog His Vorpal Sword, which comes to an end on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. This is cross-posted from his blog which comes to an end on Wednesday, November 5, 2014.
A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog, His Vorpal Sword (no spaces) dot com.