If John McCain pulls an upset, the world may gain one more grocery bagger

After Tuesday, one way or the other, some pollsters and pundits will have some explaining to do.

It may be those who conducted surveys showing the presidential race tightening to a virtual dead heat in recent days.

Or it may be those in the larger group whose polls have shown Barack Obama comfortably ahead of John McCain, and whose focus has been on not whether the Democrat will win but by how much.

Charlie Cook, long one of Washington's most venerated political wonks, belongs firmly in the latter category.  In his latest column for the National Journal, he opines that McCain "probably can't win without divine intervention." In a tease to his subscription-only newsletter, he writes, "Since early September this race has shifted rather dramatically in Obama's favor. ... At this stage, the most relevant question would seem to be: 'How big will the train wreck be for the Republican Party up and down the ballot in November.' "

But let's give Cook this -- if need be, he's prepared to eat crow, big time.

During a Friday evening appearance on MSNBC, he had this to say about how he would come to grips with a McCain come-from-behind victory: "I'm going to be asking, 'Paper or plastic.' Or, 'Do you want fries with that.' "

Others might similarly need to contemplate a career change.

-- Don Frederick 

Comments

[Nick]

Are you kidding? If you voted on the issues - you'd be voting Obama over McCain - any Hillary supporter who voted by issues alone would be an Obama supporter. McCain won't be able to pull an upset, data sampling over many months have set trends which are hard to break. Many polls aggregated present a better data point - that Obama is substantially ahead of McCain. I take a different pitch - if McCain pulls this off - I would suspect some sort of election fraud. The polling data has just for too long been in Obamas favor - you can't sample the population over time with an upward trend, be ahead by so much, and still have McCain win. This is all just silly, McCain doesn't have a chance unless he plays really really dirty.

[Jon]

If there is a upset, I will join him

[Caldwell Young]

Amazing. There are still the "Hillary for McCain" people (or possibly Rove/Republican plants) on this page! If you check out the utube reference provided by Alesandro Machi you'll see something that claims the Democratic party rigged the caucus process in those states in which Obama did well, and that, therefore, Hillary got more votes than Obama. The post doesn' t mention that the Clinton's did nothing to protest, and may have supported, the caucus system. Certainly Obama didn't design the caucus system. The fact is he made use of them, outsmarting the other candidates. Isn't that a commendable ability in a political leader? Complaining about it is sour grapes by the losers. But note: Hillary has been doing a lot of campaigning for Obama. She gets the credit for that, hat's off to her. But these fringe anti-Obama fake Republicans .... give it a rest, please!

[lyn888]

If the final tally puts McCain in the White House, it probably will not be the fault of the pollsters. Instead, it will probably be caused by manipulated voting machines by the Karl Rovian trainees.

Pay close attention to any state that has such skewed winning results for the Republicans in conflict with the polls. If a few strategic swing states results are way out of line with the polls in favor of the Republicans, but all the other states are in line with the polls, then we will know that once again the election was stolen by the Rovian Republicans.

[BRU LA]

Obama chose not to tell the public about his aunt living in Boston who is illegal and somehow lives in a public housing when immigration is such a sensitive topic. I don't know how we can trust Obama if he goes into the White House and makes decisions on immigration. Would he be willing to deport his own beloved aunt? What else don't we know about him before casting a ballot to be sure that he's clean to govern fairly and utmostly for America? Why didn't he come out clean all the way with the aunt's status when he chose to exploit his relationship with her in his book?

[Tace]

Upset? Not for Obama. There will be a big one for McCain and the Republicans.

[Bob]

Evangelical pro-life ministers for Obama!

[WhatTheHeck]

In response to lyn888, it's a lot easier to skew the polls than it is to manipulate the machines. And you still insist that if Obama loses, it's because the machines are wrong? Let me rephrase that - Which poll do you really want to believe, because they say whatever you want to believe. If you don't like the results of any given poll, there's another one out there that says whatever it is that you want.

[Sonia Kermaz]

Like Bush, McCain never worked for anything in his life and has no concept of economic hardship or individual merit. The same applies to Sarah "I won the lottery" Palin whose main accomplishjments were to spread federal pork $ and Alaska's oil/gas revenues around.

Anyone can govern with an unearned windfall, it's starting from scratch from making do on a few pennies that's hard. Neither McCain not Palin have a clue about hard work.

[Gary Gelormino]

Stealing this election would cause a march on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The Military and national Guard would not only be helpless to stop it...they would lead the charge. I doubt anyone thinks this is not only possible but everyone expects and feels it absolutely probable. I would hope it didnt come too that. But if it did,the pride of the American people, from having taken back the American political process, from the brink of despotism, would be of such historic and social
events...truely inspiring and uplifting to America and all Americans....except the GOP neocon nazis. They would see it all, swinging from short ropes on stout limbs from the cherry trees all over DC. Even they would be dancing, if only from the neck down.

[MaryJane]

If McCain pulls an upset (consider that he's been looking smug all week) it's because his "friends" are stationed to do some election fraud and drop some Democratic votes. There's no other way that he would be able to pull it off. No way!

[hhkeller]

Republicans winning would be a nightmare for the US and the world. The Republicans at our local level abuse their powers daily and cost us dearly in taxes while they line their pockets with gratuities. Ive never seen so many low life politicians in charge.

[Marc]

I find it hilarious people try to accuse the republicans of cheating. When it is clearly obvious voter fraud is heavily in the favor of the democrats. Hanging chads anyone? ACORN anyone? Busing massive amount of people to register and vote Obama and having many of them register multiple times anyone?

Liberals are all the same - SCUM.

[raybaby116]

If you want to talk about stealing an election, let's talk about how the media has sold their soul out to get Obama elected. The media up and down have done nothing but praise Obama, look the other way on anything that would even remotely show any journalistic integrity, and slam McCain on everything. This will be the election that most everyone will say the media finally showed their true colors on.

And if you want to talk stolen, How about Acorn and all the voter irregularities. No, the Democrats have done more to steal this election. This would make JFK and his cronies that stole the 1960 election proud.

[xbjllb]

People don't vote issues. They vote people. And any person who stomped to death on Hillary the way Obama did WILL NEVER BE ELECTED PRESIDENT.

MARK MY WORDS.

[Paul Nolan]

If there is an upset it will be because the press wanted it that way and played it up to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Americans have rejected the best candidate twice in a row, and they also have some cards missing in their deck.

[Rich B]

Polls don't elect people. People do. Don't pay attention to polls, they are rigged much like most of the media. No matter who you support, the polls should be ignored, and you should get off your ass and VOTE Nov. 4th.

[JB]

How could ANY Hillary supporter vote for McCain/Palin?? Especially after she has been so vocal about her views against women's reproductive rights?? With possibly three Supreme Court Justices up for nomination in the next few years how could we even think about voting for McCain/Palin? This is sheer stupidity and something Hillary does NOT want from her supporters. We are Democrats for a reason and it is high time we remember why and vote for Senator Obama.

[Tai Kauh]

Better a grocery bager than a Marxist puppet.

Obama's affinity for Marxists began when he attended Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Obama wrote in his memoir, "Dreams From My Father": "To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully--The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos.

The Marxist professors and structural feminists. In search of inspiration, I went to hear Kwame Toure, of Black Panther fame, speak.

At the entrance to the auditorium,they were selling Marxist literature."

[sonny]

so if mccain wins i'll be fraud (without any proof) if obama wins it's because it's true (even though he has the help of acorn (bipartisan right???), his unreported millions of dollars of campainge contributions allowing him to use the left wing media to fill up tv) vote obama... higher tax for the rich = higher prices at the stores.but who cares? we're all gonna get a goverment handout anyway.

[Dave]

If McCain wins, it will not be election fraud. It will be because voters, finally, came out of the ether and see Obama for the self aggrandizing, meglomaniac that he is. The way he has richoceted on issues, his consorting with terrorists, welching on public campaign financing, doomed economic plan, "Redistribution" and feigned opposition to the Fairness Doctrine are emblamatic of his disdain for the real American Dream.

[Robin]

We won't know until Tuesday or later what additional dirty tricks McCain's campaign and supporters have up their collective sleeves to mislead voters or to otherwise influence the election outcome. Until the votes are counted and a winner declared, I'm not counting on anything!

[AC]

Obama's Democratic party can't buy my vote for $600m or for any amount of money.

Go McCain/Palin!!

--PUMA Democrat who still believes in Principle over Party.

[to each his own]

Are people ever going to let go of that ACORN nonsense? First of all, that scandel involved a bunch of lazy employees who defrauded their employer, ACORN. There was no voter fraud involved...only fraudulent voter registration to get paid for work they did not do. It was only a coincidence that Obama had done legal work for them previously. ACORN is not affiliated with the Dems or Obama. Please read about it here before referencing it again: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/acorn_accusations.html -If there is any voter fraud this election it would be more likely the result of your local govenment and registrars: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/colorado-lawsui.html -You should be more concerned about registration irregularities by your local election officials than from ACORN and Obama. Both parties and candidates distort and stretch the truth to suit their agenda. Unfortunately, according to what I read on factcheck.org, the GOP appears to be the worst offender more often and appears to be running a fear monger campaign. I'm a registered republican but having done enough research into the FACTS behind the ads and claims, I have to admit that Obama has been the more upstanding candidate with the most reasonable proposals. Please get the real facts and make your decision based on them instead of all this mud slinging slander. The information is out there if only you will take the time to research it. May the best presidential candidate win! - mine of course...just kidding.

[MontyMoose]

Both political candidates will inherit a almost insurmountable bunch of problems from the Bush presidency and i am being kind to call it that.
Both will do as good a job considering they will have only an empty shell of a government to work with and a coffer that is as empty as Scrooges conscience before Christmas.
As much as I like to see balance in the halls of Congress so checks and balances are at work, with the problems that face our nation( right or wrong), we need some group to be able to put their heads together to try to get country out from under the economic, military and prestige diplomatic problems we face in the immediate future.
Our army and munitions are depleted, our military technology is so far behind and we dont have the money to build or buy what we are in need of to be relevant or even to be a threat to most of our enemies.
Our reliance on foreign oil and goods makes us a pawn to other countries and if the gulf is shut down for any amount of time, we will be almost destitute with no one to turn to for oil.
If I am painting a bleak picture, well, its a true one.
Neither candidate will be able to keep money saving promises to anyone until our country is able to gather together as a nation, instill national pride in ourselves, put aside political self interests and say
"What is best for our nation in this time of crisis?" How can we work together as a unit like we did during world war 11, putting the country first and all else later?
Short of adopting this attitude we are deluding ourselves and not thinking at all about our children and grandchildren should this country survive as the USA

WHAT DO YOU THINK?