Obama and McCain Through the Looking Glass—Undecided Voters Have Actually Decided?

Once again, this election season shuttles us through the looking glass and into the world of illogic. A new survey tells us undecided voters have already decided.

Here are the findings produced by researchers led by Prof. Brian Nosek at the University of Virginia who asked Web users about their preferences in next Tuesday's presidential election:

"During the task, participants are told to push a key on their keyboards when they see pictures of Obama and positive words such as 'love' and 'friend,' while pressing another key for negative words such as 'enemy' and pictures of McCain. The participant completes several iterations of this task where the lineup is switched and you have to press one key for McCain and positive words, and another for negative words and Obama.

About 15 percent, or some 4,000 individuals, declared themselves as undecided between Obama and McCain (this would be considered an 'explicit' opinion).

However, more than 60 percent of these undecideds showed an implicit, though unexpressed, preference for either Obama or McCain in Nosek's study."

Researchers went on to say that more undecided voters reported explicitly feeling slightly warmer toward candidate Obama than toward candidate McCain. But their measurements showed that the undecided subjects had a slight preference for McCain over Obama.

Here's another campaign road to never-neverland. A new Rasmussen poll shows voters trust McCain more than Obama on taxes and the economy. The economy? I thought that was the whole reason Obama was ahead. But no:

According to Rasmussen Reports, "After several weeks of John McCain's campaign attacks on Barack Obama's tax plan and idea of 'spreading the wealth around,' the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds voters trust McCain more than Obama on taxes, 47% to 45%.

Two weeks ago, Obama had a one point-advantage on the issue of taxes and a month ago, he had a three-point edge. The last time McCain had the advantage on this issue was September 14, just before the collapse of Lehman Brothers started the meltdown on Wall Street."

This campaign is producing so many turnarounds, I'm feeling the need for Dramamine to calm my seasick stomach.

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