Trends

As I thought last week, the polls are beginning to show movement towards Obama. This probably has much to do with the economic woes we are getting shoved down our throats during the evening news and our local papers. People are beginning to pay attention and when they hear John McHoover say the economy is fundamentally sound, they wonder what planet he's from.

As the obsession with the Palin pick subsides (and the sad reality of the poor choice sets in) and the election becomes Obama vs McCain, I expect Obama's lead to grow. McCain looks rather lost in a crisis - stumbling for the right thing to say, and not able to think on his feet quickly. Obama has more of an analytical mind and is able to think more broadly. This manifests itself in Obama's ability to connect the dots for folks. Granted, I'd like to see him start doing this with fewer words.

Obama will hit his stride when he begins to break the issues down into comprehensible chunks. Not for graduate-level consumption at universities, but for common people. One of my favorite campaigning stories is about Adelai Stevenson. After giving a speech at Princeton, a very enthusiastic student shook Stevenson's hand, telling him he loved the speech and that "Stevenson had the support of every thinking man in America." To which Stevenson quickly replied, "That's not enough, son. I need a majority!"

As true today as it ever was.