... there's still a LOT that can happen in the exactly 100 days until we vote in this damn election ... so don't you dare listen to anyone who says that it is already a foregone conclusion ... or that your vote doesn't matter.
In order for you to have something to say at those dinner parties where the rule about it not being polite to discuss politics goes out the window (we've all been there), here are some points for you to ponder that you can use to stir the pot at those events.
First, beware the polls. It's always appropriate to take them with a grain of salt seeing as how questions can be written in such a way as to skew the results ... and also because so many of the ones I've seen are within the margin of error, which is listed but seems to be in ever and ever smaller font size (remember, subtract and add that number from the result to find the *true* range, and then see how often they overlap between candidates ... proving absolutely nothing). But even more important than that evergreen advice, the primaries showed us that some Trump supporters are closeted -- they will never admit to it in mixed company, or on social media, or when asked point blank, but in the secrecy and privacy of the voting booth, they will check Trump. And then deny it more times than Peter after the Garden of Gethsemane.
Second, beware the Sand-hards. The DNC wrapped up with attempts at party unity that put Reincey and company to shame (ahem ... "vote your conscience" Cruz). That being said, there were extra meetings from the very first night to quell the rowdiness and special "whips" strategically placed to keep protests from disrupting TV time and empty chairs that had to be given away to seat-fillers. Progressive party platform notwithstanding, Clinton will have to continue to fight attacks from *both* sides in the next 100 days, and since the electoral college system is all about the math, Sand-hards can do damage in the more competitive states.
Third, beware the size of that Johnson (and, to a lesser extent, that Stein, but her name doesn't service the joke as well). Libertarian Johnson may even make the debates (the threshold rule is 15%), and the question really is whether more of those percentage points are coming from the "never Clinton" or the "never Trump" folks. Don't forget that Bill got into the White House in an election where Perot set the record for third party votes (nearly 20 million) and where some argue he took more away from papa Bush and influenced the result (although, again, it's all about electoral college math, and Perot didn't win a single state in that calculation). Could Johnson be a spoiler? Time will tell ... in the next 100 days.
FIRST ... THE "CLOSETED" TRUMPERS:
http://dailycaller.com/2015/08/27/confessions-of-a-closet-trump-supporter/
SECOND ... THE SAND-HARDS:
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-clinton-might-have-a-tough-time-flipping-the-sanders-holdouts/
THIRD ... HOW BIG WILL THAT JOHNSON GET?:
http://race42016.com/2011/04/20/did-ross-perot-elect-bill-clinton/
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