Not that it's going to decide the election or anything but I've decided that on Tuesday, I'm going to vote for Barack Obama. I won't be upset if Hillary Clinton is the nominee but I think he'd be the better candidate and — of greater importance — the better president. This is a slight preference but a couple of things I've read lately, especially that essay by Chris Durang, got me there.
A more significant decision, perhaps: I'm going to sign up to vote by mail from now on. I've been thinking of it as long as I've been helping out my mother, who can't get out easily to get to the polls, but I've resisted. I always had the feeling that I'd vote for Jones over Smith and then, after I'd mailed my ballot but before Election Day, it would come out that Jones was an escaped Nazi War Criminal who was in the employ of Reverend Moon, plus he was Michael Vick's partner in the dogfight business, along with being the guy at Southwest Airlines who keeps losing my luggage. And I couldn't do anything about it because I'd already voted.
But this time, my polling place is in a location that's too far away for me to walk to it, and it may be difficult to park in that area. That's all on top of the fact that my Tuesday is booked solid with meetings and errands, plus I want to picket (assuming we're still picketing) and I don't know when I'll be able to get over to vote. From what I read, an increasing number of people are making this decision and it may even affect the results. A lot of ballots were filled out and returned when John Edwards was still in the race and before some recent debate performances and developments which, if we believe the polls, are swaying some voters. Only two days ago, Rasmussen had Clinton at 43% and Obama at 37%. Today, it's 49% and 38%.
Which is not to say I believe the polls all that much. At the same time, the ABC/Washington Post poll has Clinton at 47% and Obama at 43%, Pew has Clinton at 46% and Obama at 38% and Gallup has two separate polls out done by different methodology. One has Clinton at 46% and Obama at 44%, while the other has Clinton at 45% and Obama at 44%. In the meantime, Zogby — who hasn't had the greatest track record lately so maybe he's due — has Obama in the lead in California, which has a pretty large chunk of the delegates who'll be awarded on Tuesday.
So is it an eleven point spread like Rasmussen says? Or a one-pointer like one of the Gallup surveys insists? Who knows? I only know that if I vote earlier, it'll be easier for me to not pay attention to this kind of thing. So from now on, I vote by mail.