Change Your Mind?

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I was driving through Pennsylvania last week and in the small towns of Union City, Centerville, and Titusville it seemed that there was a political sign on each and every lawn. I counted three straight for McCain and then two in a row for Obama. One of the McCain signs was just a few feet away from the neighboring Obama sign. I imagined all sorts of battles going on between those two landowners.

What's the point? I wondered. Is someone actually going to change their mind about who they're voting for based on what sign is on what lawn? I'm sure that a lot of people who read this blog have an opinion about who I'm voting for - but can you be sure? Does it matter who I vote for? Or who Barbara Streisand votes for? Or Keith Urban? Or Bruce?

They say that the results are all but in for New York State - it's 59% Obama and 25% for McCain. What I don't get about polls is that they based it on 527 voters. Seems like a mighty small sample. Does the fact that New York will go Democratic make you want to stay home on Election Day?

This is also the time of year when I get a lot of propaganda based e-mails. Many of them are the same types of e-mails I read when people were trying to convince me to vote for George W.

My main response to such e-mails is to laugh and say - you voted for W! Twice!! Were you wrong then?

The divide in the country is sharp - people are branded either bleeding-heart liberals or gun-toting, religious freaks. I swear I listened to a woman being interviewed who said she votes solely on the belief that she looks at all the candidates and tries to decide who most fits her beliefs in God.

The interviewer asked, "What about the economy? Doesn't that play a role?"
The woman answered, "The Good Lord will provide for us."

Will a sign on a lawn change her mind? Will a reasonable argument that states that McCain has been married three times slant her views on his moral compass?

Does any of it truly matter? As I've said - at this point I just want it to be over. Count the votes, or count some of the votes, or keep people away from the voting booths or discount the ones with hanging chads - just get it over and done with so that perhaps we can stabilize the economy, and get on with the task of trying to keep our heads above the water while one side blames the other.

I hear that the candidates are lining up for 2012. They will begin their campaign in early '09.

Get the new signs for your lawn.

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