Day 31 - West Virginia

23 October 2008 | 0:00 - By Charles Firth

Well, Obama has stretched to a 12 point average lead in the compilation of nationwide polls. Everyone says that's outside the "Bradley effect" buffer that Obama requires (to account for the fact that black people are inexplicably more unpopular on election day than people who answer opinion polls admit).

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Which is good from my perspective. We've been working really hard, you see. Trying to be balanced. So that Americans don't come across as total racist bigots. It's been hard.

You see, we've been in West Virginia all week and I have yet to find someone who doesn't think Obama is a Muslim (and therefore a terrorist), nor does anyone here flinch at the suggestion that the phrase "Obama Biden" is simply the Arabic way of spelling "Osama bin Laden". West Virginia has two main industries, logging and coal-mining. If it came down to a choice, they would prefer to get black lung than a black President.

But if Obama's got it in the bag, then I can relax. We don't have to be as balanced. We can just head to New York, and do some puff pieces about Obama-as-cultural-phenomenon, and then head home before the poll even begins.

Well, that was my plan, until the BBC ruined it this morning. According to a report the smart money is on Osama bin Laden (as distinct from Obama Biden) releasing another video tape on the eve of the election. This could play into McCain's hands because McCain consistently outpolls Obama on national security issues, mainly, I think, because the "McCain Palin" ticket doesn't sound at all like a terrorists' name.

In view of this, you'd have to say that despite the polls Obama is the outside chance to win the November 4 poll. Unless of course America is attacked by a terrorist going by the name of "Munchane Baylin". That would even things up.

After this election, I think there'll be something called the "McCain effect" for way old white men are inexplicably more popular on election day than their performance in the campaign would suggest.

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About this Blog

Charles Firth Charles Firth's months in America taught him many things – that a country that touts democracy doesn’t practice it, that the spectacle is more important than the message, that 54 oz Slurpees don’t mix well with expensive and vital equipment. It was a long, arduous, uphill battle, but he had a story to tell and through it all persevered with a singular goal in mind – meeting George Negus on the publicity tour.

 
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