They do know how people vote (statistically)
Still too early in the evening to “make the call”, but the best local indicator we have shows that something is going on: gas is down to $0.99/litre, which means that we really can go back in time to a happier period. Maybe the US can recapture Camelot, although I hope the First Lady won’t be such a collector of expensive junk and pearl necklaces.
I’ve finally clued in to the reason for so many sports channels. Where else can you get the training necessary for the deep statistical analysis required in reporting a national election? For the last few hours, the big networks to the south have been detailing the exit polls from hundreds, nay thousands, perhaps millions of precincts. We know exactly how people that live in Fort Wayne, IN earning more than $100,000 have voted.
Of course, either the numbers are out and out lies, or votes are not secret. Given the problems reported with the voting machine industry over the last few years, the idea of a truly democratic process seems improbable. Rather, I see facial recognition systems that have tied income tax returns to each and every vote cast by Joe the Plumber and his friends. As we return to happier times, we also go back to the roots of democracy, where every man vote in the presence of his neighbours, and as long as your gang had better weapons, you were safe in your choice. But what do I know?
After all, up here we still use paper and pencil for voting, and a recount involves people gathered in a circle examining every single ballot. Try and predict voting behaviour in such a primitive setting.
