Survey USA came out with a poll yesterday showing the Presidential race within the margin of error in….MINNESOTA!!!!!!

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=f848e0e7-4b37-4480-9248-35238dba01ce

Obama: 49%
McCain: 46%
MOE: 3.9%

SERIOUSLY??? Granted, Minnesota is a lot less liberal than many people think (I consider it my adopted state as I went to college there and plan to move back once I finish law school). And granted, the GOP convention was in St. Paul. And granted, Tim Pawlenty is a successful and relatively popular conservative Republican governor. And granted, Al Franken’s idiocy may be casting Democrats in a poor light in general.

Nonetheless, I would not even consider taking this poll seriously were it not for the fact that they also polled on the Senate race. The numbers there are:

Coleman: 44%
Franken: 39%
Barkley: 16%

That is very close to the spread other recent polls have shown. If Survey USA was oversampling Republicans one would think Coleman would have a bigger lead than in other recent polls.

In the end, I have little doubt that Obama will win Minnesota. But I think the results of this poll indicate one of two things:

A. The presidential contest is in much more flux than the MSM will ever admit and many, many voters are still unsure who they are going to vote for (even if they give pollsters a definite answer)

And/Or

B. Survey USA’s polling methods are highly suspect. If true, that may very well extend to plenty of other pollsters as well.

Bottom Line: This election is NOT over and we should not accept, uncritically, what pollsters tell us.

This has come up occasionally on RS, but usually in a “tongue-in-cheek” manner. But I’d like to hear, in all seriousness, what everyone thinks will happen if John McCain wins on November 4th? How will Obama’s supporters react? This election has clearly been one of the most acrimonious and polarizing in modern times. And, we have seen that a small number of Obamatons believe in getting him elected by any means necessary. Will this raw emotion completely explode if, by chance, their messiah is defeated?

Let’s say that it is about 2.00 am, EDT on Wednesday, November 5th. John McCain has a steady, 2% lead in the national popular vote. Furthermore, he has carried Ohio, Florida AND New Hampshire and Maine’s 2nd CD. Pennsylvania and Virginia are still too close to call, but McCain is leading. Obama has managed to only take the red states of Iowa and New Mexico, although he leads in Colorado and Nevada (both still too close to call). No electoral majority for either candidate, but it is not looking good for Obama.

Finally, after much consternation, the networks concede that McCain has an insurmountable lead in Pennsylvania and call the state for him. It’s all over and by the next morning, Virginia narrowly goes for McCain as well, giving him a comfortable win (Colorado and Nevada do go for Obama in the end).

What then? What’s been going on during all of this and what happens when McCain is declared President-elect? I mean, beyond the screaming accusations of vote fraud that many liberal talking heads will immediately spew. How will Obama supporters react as a whole?

Here are my thoughts, based only on personal experience. I live in a VERY leftist city, so I have plenty exposure to Obamaphiles of all stripes.

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