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The gamblers have spoken

November 5, 2012 by Dave Knadler

bettors favor obama

All in.

Forget the polls. Let’s go with a hunch. And my hunch is that President Obama will win the election, a lot more handily than the polls seem to suggest. Pass me those dice.

No doubt there will be a number of lawsuits filed in Ohio, where it will be close, and here in Florida, where people are having a suspiciously hard time voting, but I have a strong feeling that Ann Romney will be denied a chance to redecorate the White House.

I’m going mostly with the wisdom of the crowd — not that strange crowd of people who still have land lines and answer calls from numbers they don’t recognize, but the crowd of gamblers who care more about their own cash than the vagaries of politics. Every one of the betting sites I’ve seen shows Obama anywhere from 15 to 20 points ahead. (Actually, I just checked Intrade and Obama is now favored 67-32.)

Before the advent of the Gallup poll in 1936, gamblers were the main bellwether of presidential elections, with 93 percent accuracy over 56 years. I don’t know how modern polls stack up against that record, but 93 percent ain’t bad. Like most everything else in America, money talks and bullshit walks.

Except when it’s being used to buy bullshit. We got about a billion dollars worth of it during the campaign. Has there ever been so much money so poorly spent? In retrospect, maybe the Koch brothers should have played the ponies.

Then again, as I’m fond of saying, I’ve been wrong before. I’m still willing to wager, say, five bucks that Obama wins it. No politics here, just odds. Anybody want some this action?

More along these lines:

  • Some kind of president
  • A hobby can help
  • A poem for Donald
  • Not-so-great expectations
  • Papers, please

Filed Under: politics

Comments

  1. Paula says

    November 5, 2012 at 11:35 am

    Well, Dave, this member of the strange crowd who still has a land line ONLY, hopes you are right. I believe Obama will win IF there is no monkey business with those big city voting machines that have been proven easy to manipulate. You know, the same ones the Romneys invested heavily in.
    You are right; it is a disgrace how much money was spent in this election, when there is so much need in the country and the world.

    • Dave Knadler says

      November 6, 2012 at 10:50 am

      No matter who wins, there will be a substantial number of folks who are convinced the election was stolen. I suppose the Electoral College begins to make sense in that context.

  2. John H. says

    November 5, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Yeah, we’ve been having to dig through the piles of campaign mailers to see if there is any real mail.

    Nice image of chips, cards, and keyboard.

    • Dave Knadler says

      November 6, 2012 at 10:48 am

      It’s bad when you have to have a separate sack for political scare-cards. Glad it’s over, and a full three months until the next election cycle begins!

  3. Joan says

    November 5, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    Oh nooooo! I just realized that I’m one of “that strange crowd of people who still have land lines and answer calls from numbers they don’t recognize.” Maybe I’m most of it! I’ve responded to several political polls. Maybe I’m the only Democrat in Virginia who’s dumb enough to answer the phone! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?? That two point lead that Obama has in Virginia? That’s ME! AARRGH!!

    • Dave Knadler says

      November 6, 2012 at 10:47 am

      The past couple of weeks I’ve been getting calls from strange numbers in Georgia. I don’t answer them. Are pollsters hitting cell phones now? Maybe I’m wrong about this.

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