Is the election really close?

If you have listened to the news lately (especially Fox News, the Weekly Standard, or Drudge), you would think the election is at least somewhat close. 

The answer is not really. Obama is smashing McCain in the electoral college, and leading in virtually all the battleground states. Unbiased pollsters and blogs show clear leads for Obama. Currently fivethirtyeight.com, give McCain a whopping 2.7% win rate. 

I writing this as Fox, claims breaking news, that Drudge (a place that admits it is wrong 20% of the time), claims that Zogby leaked their 1 day poll and McCain was +1. If you know much about statistics, this means absolute crap. Polls are conducted by doing three day surveys each of about 300 people, to avoid special cause of day to day variation. However, each day by itself, is not statistically enough sample information to accurately predict a population, for that you need all three days. Therefore, this poll means nothing, yet the hype is going to be crazy tomorrow if Matt Drudge is right. 

So why, does the media want a close election? Of course, it is ratings. If the election is a "horse race" people are more likely to tune into their daily coverage, and even better given them something to watch on election night. This is a money business, and the closer they can make the better for them.

However, does the media saying the election is close, or McCain is getting destroyed really change the perceptions of the electorate. This is something I have long wondered about. Obama, claims that will help him as it will give more people to worry and GOTV, but I am not so convinced. I think it gives an opportunity for more independents to reconsider McCain, because it the more 'popular' thing to do. Well I look and see if the election closes...

As for PA... as much as the media has hyped it...Obama is looking to easily win it.