The numbers don't lie -- if the electorate nudges just a point or two in either direction, it could mean the difference between Obama's second term, or a president Romney. It's true that Obama is doing well in the swing states, but it wouldn't take much for that to change. The best analogy I can think of is a tightrope walk. An inch in either direction is the difference between life and death.
But the real reason why the tightrope walk is such an apt metaphor is because they are actually quite safe. It's a spectacle that plays on your emotions -- something that appears to be dangerous and harrowing, but those acrobats wouldn't be up there if they believed for one second their lives were at serious risk.
Granted, accidents happen, just as they do on construction sites, in automobiles, and anywhere. But you could spend the rest of your life observing circuses across the world and never see a tightrope walker fall.
And that's what I believe we have in this election -- a spectacle that appears to be teetering on the edge of dramatic consequences, but in reality is quite stable. That is why the polls are close in Ohio, but Nate Silver currently has Obama with a 71% chance of winning there.
As long as the tightrope walker does his job and stays focused, he'll be fine. And as long as we do the same, we'll safely guide Obama to his second term.