To my fellow Kossacks and the Obama campaign...
WE ARE GOING TO WIN! - and we should because of what the country needs now.
While I don't have any "insider" information and there are many experts here more qualified about various aspects of the whole thing, I do have some relevant professional expertise as the basis of what I will outline below.
Our candidate, Senator Barack Obama, is far beyond just "better" than McCain - He truly offers an amazing combination of life experiences, skills and outlook for our future, that could not have arrived at a better time!
Do not let the turtles bamboozle us! It will not serve America to wish the return of the 1950's!
Polls, schmolls!
Similar to the rapid back and forth of scores in a basketball game, only the last 15 minutes really matter between well matched teams. Unlike basketball scoring, polls are wildly inaccurate and fall victim to a myriad of problems and interpretations in the drafting and gathering of results, and then still more when disseminated to the chattering masses who have no idea what they're talking about or the impact of subtle nuances of wording, compilation, setting, contrasting influences, etc...
Traditional survey and polling is no longer done as much as in the past because of the cost of a professional call-center operation and that even more diligence is needed than years past for it to be representative and because our population has become so mobile and fragmented in its panoply of lifestyles and communication access points. Younger people in particular, are difficult to reach and this election cycle will see the largest increase ever in young voters. Alternate methods are often inherently less accurate because they are chosen for the very reason that they are cheaper, such as automated call processing, email, etc. In addition, they often rely on a sole method of data gathering. They are not reliable in predictability.
Further still, modern political polling is driven by a controversy of the last 24-hours which stirs temporary emotion as driven by the electronic media - a volatile terrain, seldom meaningful or lasting.
Numbers among women are up! So what.
That is, today it is being reported that there is this huge jump among women 18 - 49. Do you know which voter group is second least likely to vote, behind males 18 - 30? Uh huh, that group of women being touted as scary for the Obama campaign.
Senator Obama needs to remain above the idiocy* of Republican gotcha games that appeal to the juvenile, superfluous and warped language interpretations. He need only talk about issues, the future that he sees and can deliver while making necessary contrasts between he and McCain only - the slap-dash, fear-mongering, empty uniform, throw-back, senior citizen.
Also, don't play the game with the interviewers and pundits either! Challenge them directly and in the moment when asking you something ridiculous - turning the question back on them like 'how is that relevant?' or 'what has your reporting told you on that subject?' and 'what does your common sense say is the real meaning?'
When did America begin to idolize ignorance, a lack of education, narrow-mindedness and a disdain for the rest of the world? Could this really be the nation that entered WW I & II largely on behalf of other countries, built the most respected (until recently) institutions of higher education, birthed the UN, began the Peace Corps, provides the largest amount of food and monetary aid around the world, fosters democratic systems and made some credible efforts toward human rights globally?
What did we do all that for if we would really prefer to be isolated and we despise or distrust people with an education, who are thoughtful, who are of a darker color, live in all those foreign countries?
As Obama has stated - America is in a race for its life and we are being left behind! McSame will only serve to put us on a rapid backward track.
*Sometimes, a pig with lipstick is just a snarky analogy! It is damaging to the education of our children and citizens to promote stupidity and inaccurate definitions and characterization of discourse.
The people that just like a fight and derive their pleasure and reason for existence from jabbing 'the libruhls' are a finite segment and cannot be moved - ignore them.
Likewise, Senator Biden need not address the impotent Republican VP nominee at all! She is not and would not be allowed to be the next Geppetto Cheney to a Pinocchio McCain. She is a sparkly new bauble, nothing more. Not because of her abilities, but because of whom she works for.
Senator Obama does need more people known well and respected by the country to tell his story from the personal angle. His life experiences, what they mean and how they will have an important influence in shaping or politics, policies and relation to the world. I keep going back to this same show, but the CNN biography special was terrific and a great resource for information about what makes Barack Obama so uniquely special and appropriate for the times we live in. But others have to tell his story, not him. This will lend authority of the information and accessibility and identification with those who are close to him sharing their experiences.
Issues, solutions, future.