Is It Election Day Yet?

PHOTO) In this composite image a comparison has been made between US Presidential Candidates Barack Obama (L) and Mitt Romney. The November 6, 2012 elections will decide between Obama and Romney who will win to become the next President of the United States. ***LEFT IMAGE*** SPRINGFIELD, OH - NOVEMBER 02: U.S. President Barack Obama addresses a campaign rally at Springfield High School November 2, 2012 in Springfield, Ohio. With four days left until the general election, Obama and the Republican presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, are racing from swing-state to swing-state in an attempt to change voters' minds at the last minute. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

It has all come down to this.  Two men vying for the most prestigious, yet harrowing job in the world:  President of the United States.  One man already holds that position and is seeking another term.  The other is a former governor from Massachusetts looking for higher office.

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been crisscrossing the states that matter in this election--Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Virginia--making final pleas to the voters as Election Day nears.  The polls show that both candidates have slight leads in those states, but Obama seems to have enough of a lead in the Electoral College.

Lately Romney, whom the ever-so-conservative Republicans reluctantly named to be their nominee, has been sounding a more moderate tone in order to appeal to women and independent voters.  So have other GOP candidates across the country, even the most conservative ones, who now claim how 'independent' they are and are capable of 'reaching across the aisle' to Democrats to get things done in Washington.

 That's all well and good, but there's two problems with that:  (1) If most of those legislators are still bound to Grover Norquist's anti-tax promise, how independent can they really be?  (2) Relations between Republicans and Democrats have been so chilly that the few remaining moderates in Congress have been heading for the exits.

Truth be told, the smartest thing the GOP could have done was to keep former President George W. Bush out of the loop during the campaign.  The last thing they wanted was to remind folks why they voted for Obama in the first place.

The President has been getting a boost for his handling of the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, with the unlikely occurrence of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (Republican) and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (independent) rallying to his side.  He's recovered nicely from the disastrous first debate with Romney, but there's still the perception that--in spite of the recent semi-upbeat economic reports--while the recession may be over, hard times haven't.

Having said all this, we think President Obama will be re-elected.  However, if the election is as close as everyone says it might be, don't be surprised if Romney comes out on top.  If the totals are in dispute, Romney has a conservative-majority Supreme Court and a Republican House of Representatives in his corner.  Just like in 2000, when Bush was the recipient of all this help.

So, in answer to your question, this is far from over.