The final polls are in. Bush has about 48%, Kerry 46%, Nader and Badnarik splitting maybe another 1% between them, leaving 5% still flipping coins. History says that undecideds break towards the challenger, but if that happens this time, we'll be looking at another cliffhanger election.
This is bad for America
Therefore, I have a suggestion: If you are undecided, vote For Bush. Never mind all the policy arguments -- you've heard them all -- vote to avoid a tie. Since Bush is slightly ahead, only a vote for Bush will produce a clear margin.
It could even mean the difference between war and peace, expansion or recession.
If we are divided and go though another "Florida", our enemies will take heart, and may miscalculate our resolve. Certainly Osama though we'd cave after 9/11, and our division was part of it.
A month of uncertainty over who will be President will also cost jobs. Business plans will be on hold, people will stop spending, and the economy will contract. This isn't just idle speculation -- the December 2000 stalemate in Florida pushed the business slowdown of that summer over the edge. No one talked about it -- way politically incorrect -- but by the end of the month, the Fed was panicking and dropped rates drastically to try (unsuccessfully) to head off a stock market collapse. Then came 9/11 and all bets were off. As the economy is still struggling to recover, we don't need another month-long hit to the nation's psyche -- there's no telling where that could lead.
So, if you are truly flipping coins: Vote for America. Vote for the guy in the lead. Vote for Bush.
Help America make a decision, even if you can't.
Now to link to Wizbang's Pre-Election Linkfest