Media Declares Race Over as McCain Creeps Within Four Points

Ten days ago Barack Obama led by eight points in the Rasmussen poll but John McCain is now within four points the past two days. So why the great urgency by media pundits to declare the race over?

Are they worried?

You bet they are.

Sure, there's 18 days to go and the RCP average is 6.6 points, but with Gallup likely voters at two points, why on earth would anyone pay off bets on Obama already? Probably because he's listening to the "experts" who've been notoriously wrong in the past.

"I don't see how this one can be turned around, frankly," said presidential historian Stephen Hess.

Uh, Mr. Hess, maybe Obama committed a fatal blunder by revealing he's a socialist.

No. Really. You're kidding me. Barack Obama actually told that Joe the Plumber guy that he wants to "spread the wealth around." What, did Obama just get done reading the Wikipedia entry on Huey "Share the Wealth" Long or something? Was he somehow channeling that left-wing populist from the Depression? Talk about playing into the most extreme stereotype of your party, that it is infested with socialists.

A while back I chatted with a University of Chicago professor who was a frequent lunch companion of Obama's. This professor said that Obama was as close to a full-out Marxist as anyone who has ever run for president of the United States. Now, I tend to quickly dismiss that kind of talk as way over the top. My working assumption is that Obama is firmly within the mainstream of Democratic politics. But if he is as free with that sort of redistributive philosophy in private as he was on the campaign trail this week, I have no doubt that U of C professor really does figure him as a radical. And after last night's debate, a few more Americans might think that way, too. McCain's best line: "Now, of all times in America, we need to cut people's taxes. We need to encourage business, create jobs, not spread the wealth around."

And by the way, I just noticed that the IBD/TIPP poll, the most accurate in 2004, has McCain down by just 3 points. If the contest is perceived by the voters as a contest between a wealth redistributor and a wealth creator, then it could be a long night come Nov. 4. This is still a center-right country, gang.

Indeed, IBD/TIPP was the most accurate pollster in 2004 and has it at three points.

Why should we listen to the liberal media, which wants nothing more than to depress turnout among Republicans?

I suspect the Obama camp realizes what a disastrous move Obama made revealing his true socialist self.

Why else would they be on such a vicious smear campaign against a guy Obama approached for a photo op? The uglier the attacks become against Joe Wurzelbacher, the more independents and blue-collar Democrats will recoil at such tactics.

The polling outfits are all using different samples, but look for them to become more realistic as we approach November 4.

Does McCain have his work cut out for him? Sure does. But declaring a winner with this much time left on the clock is a dangerous game, especially when all that supposed advantage in newly-registered voters now looks very suspicious. Speaking of suspicious, be very wary of this report. Smells like a diversion.

Just think of all those baseball fans last night who went to sleep knowing the Tampa Bay Rays were already in the World Series.

Nothing like knowing the winner before the game is over.