| Debate trilogy ends with no particular slant |
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Frank Cotolo
October 23, 2012 |
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President Barak Obama and his opponent, Gov. Mitt Romney, completed the Presidential Debate season on Oct. 22 with the objective topic being foreign policy. However, all that remained foreign to many people and pundits were the issues.
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"The consensus of the consensus," said a consensus expert, "is that Obama won but so did Romney. The partisan element of this election season has skewed the polls and confused veteran political journalists to the extent where bookies are having a hard time giving odds this close to Election Day."
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No wagering of the election is allowed in the states but a look at how the race is being assessed elsewhere may have more to do with foreign policy than what was discussed in the third debate.
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"William Hill bookmakers in Great Britain brought Romney's odds down after the first debate," said a regular gambler in London. "But the odds of it snowing on Christmas day at Buckingham Palace are still eight to one."
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But the President's odds became shorter after the third debate, regardless of commentary by Sean Hannity.
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"President Obama is a little better than one to two now," said a European bookmaker.
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The predictors have not been loose with their loyalties, according to pollster Edward Stackbook.
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"If you are a Conservative," Stackbook said, "you see a Romney landslide. Obama supporters are less braggart; they predict a narrow margin of re-election. And Ron Paul recently said he doesn't care either way and would rather take his bets to the Hollywood, Florida dog track."
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A website called intrade, which claims to be home of the world's leading prediction market, is selling shares in the President’s re-election based on a 57.7-percent chance, making each share worth $5.77 as of this writing (odds are changing as we report).
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The final debate produced mixed feelings among the so-called undecided voters, now estimated at around 11 percent.
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"I was for Romney," said a member of a focus group, "but I changed my mind and now I am not for Romney."
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Other focus-group comments:
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"The President knows a lot about other countries, more than I thought he did but that just proves he wasn't born in America."
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"Romney won this debate and will win the next."
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"I still like the President. Obama means well and does well and kills those terrorists dead."
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"If I was from another country I would look at both candidates and spit out my dinner."
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"As a woman I don't want the government telling me if I can have children or not and I don't want those children, if I have them, to go to war in the Mid East, Midwest or any other direction we are sending soldiers to fight."
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"I am just voting against Obama."
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"There is no reason to vote for Romney and one good reason not to vote for him is still no reason to vote for him."
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"This focus group doesn't allow members to go to the restroom often."
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"Who's Frank Luntz?"
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"Polls shmolls," said Stackbook, "this election is so close that we may not know who wins until the next election."
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Frank Cotolo can be found
hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles.
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