Every pollster in America is as busy this political season as a kid with an ice cream cone on a hot afternoon. Busy as they are, they all find time to figure out who is a committed voter—meaning someone who already knows which presidential candidate will get his or her vote—and who is uncommitted. Strangely, for all the talk of that sort of thing, polls are notoriously wrong by miles when it comes to both this matter of commitment and, far more importantly, when it comes to saying who will actually vote.
Pollsters know nothing of course, except how much money they can get by writing up their guesses nicely. They tell us, for example, that just weeks before the election, 37 percent of voters are undecided. Or—different pollsters’ wild guesses—maybe the undecided comprise only 14 percent or 21 percent or some other portion of the electorate, again assuming someone actually gets out of the house on Nov. 4 to cast a vote. Personally, I say, if you can get this close to this particular election without figuring out who gets your vote, you might as well keep wondering until Christmas. The last time we had a choice so broad was when civil rights super-stalwart Lyndon “LBJ” Johnson faced off with professional racist and anti-civil rights champion George Wallace in the 1964 Democratic primary. For many of you, in case you need a hand with the math, this means, the choice between two candidates has never been more stark in your lifetime.
So, if preaching to the uncommitted is the opposite of preaching to the choir (and logically, it is), it is also preaching (in this case) to the unthinking or uncaring. Nonetheless, after all that preamble, here comes the sermon:
Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain are as different as it is possible for two people to be who’ve lived their lives such that they would end up as U.S. Senators. Here’s how they are different:
On the subject of your money: If you have so much money that even the current financial mess in our country and world is not a worry for you, then you don’t have to weigh taxes, the affordability of healthcare, or the future of potential wealth building in your decision. You’re set. But if you still want to vote, start the decision-making here by giving Obama one point, and McCain two points. If you are less secure financially, give Obama two points, and McCain one.
On the subject of market and business regulation: If you believe the financial markets, multinational corporations and global drug, food and energy companies should be regulated to protect the public and prevent wealth from accumulating in the hands of the titans of industry; two for Obama and one for McCain. If you honestly believe that the markets should be free and unregulated, even at the grandest and highest scale; two for McCain, one for Obama.
If you feel that some degree of basic healthcare should be ensured, perhaps even guaranteed, for every citizen; three for Obama, one for McCain. If you think that giving people a $5,000 tax break so they can spend the money buying family health coverage (despite the actual cost), and that employer-provided health benefits should be taxed as income in all cases, three to McCain, one to Obama.
If you believe that civil rights have gone far enough (or maybe a little too far): two for McCain, one for Obama. If you think there’s still room for improvement; two for Obama, one for McCain.
If you believe that the U.S. should stay in Iraq until the troops can come marching out of a free and democratic Iraq as victors, no matter the cost; three for McCain, one for Obama. If you think any form of more rapid withdrawal can be accomplished without making the world unsafe; Obama, three—McCain one.
On a scale of one to three, one being “yes,” two “maybe,” and one “no,” if you feel that Sarah Palin is completely ready to be president of the U.S.A., give the points to McCain. Same scale: is Joe Biden ready to be president? Give those points to Obama.
One last scoring opportunity (sort of): If you want to vote for either candidate because you “just like him,” take two points away from that candidate to make up for the bias you’ve just sneaked into this little adventure.
We could do this for hours. Wouldn’t change the results, though. Add ‘em up. The man with the higher points is your candidate for president and you are no longer uncommitted or undecided.
Now, as you fuss with yourself and curse me, you will see that you were never uncommitted or undecided. You already knew how you intended to vote, but that doesn’t answer the Big Questions. Did you bother to register? Will you take a moment 19 days from now to cast a vote?