Election predictions

The Mitchell Daily Republic ran a front-page report the included election day predictions from this group:

Barack Obama will likely be the winner of today’s presidential election, according to a handful of politicos from throughout South Dakota.

That was the consensus of 11 South Dakotans with political backgrounds surveyed by The Daily Republic on the eve of the general election. Their answers on different races varied, but they generally agree that Obama will beat John McCain today and become the nation’s 44th president.

I think Obama’s got too many edges," said Sen. Ed Olson, R-Mitchell.

However, making predictions about who will win the presidential election today is easy compared to asking people to forecast the outcome of South Dakota’s abortion measure, which also comes before voters today. Of the 11 who took part in the survey, nine said it’s simply too close to call, one predicted it will pass closely and one predicted the measure will fall, but barely.

Of those surveyed Monday, four are current or former college professors or faculty members, four are political party officials, two are political Internet bloggers and one, Olson, is a longtime state lawmaker who is retiring this year.

Taking part in the survey were Don Simmons, director of the McGovern Center for Public Service in Mitchell; Bill Anderson, director of the Government Research Bureau and assistant professor of political science at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion; Don Watt, fellow at the McGovern Center in Mitchell; Bob Burns, professor emeritus of political science at South Dakota State University, Brookings; Dave Mitchell, professor of business at DWU and the head of the Davison County Democratic Party; Allen Lepke, Davison County GOP chairman; Jack Billion, of Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Democratic Party chairman; Max Wetz, GOP state executive director from Pierre; Denise Ross, a Rapid City-based journalist, blogger and documentary filmmaker; Steve Sibson, a blogger from Mitchell; and Olson.

Read the rest for details.

Comments

[Mondak]

I’m happy to see that Obama is doing so well. I voted for him this morning at 7, of course. After a year and half of mudslinging and hateful things thrown at Mr. Obama, it made me support him even more. The dirtier the otherside played, the more I found myself coming to Mr. Obama’s defense because Obama stuck to the issues that affected me and he did not return the hateful attacks. Instead, he ran a honorable campaign.

Go Obama!!!! Let’s win one for his Grandma!

[Steve Sibson]

So what were the hateful things? What would you call some of the stuff thrown at Palin?