We tend to obsess over the day-to-day polls, celebrating each up tick and bemoaning every downturn. The polls are important, but so is strategy. As such, the element of surprise can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The element of surprise in this election will be the youth vote. No one expects us to turn out in large numbers, which is what Barack Obama will need to win this election. Just take a look at this story from US News & World Report.
The author cites another article from The Christian Science Monitor on youth voter turnout being responsible for the wild fluctuations in the polls, then concludes with her doubts that the youth will bring their "A Game":
My take is, don't depend too heavily on the youth vote to vastly increase voter participation rates. Young people typically have less money than their older counterparts (makes sense since older people have been out in the workforce longer). So many of them tend to vote in lower-income neighborhoods. In recent elections, some of those neighborhoods have been plagued by inadequate numbers of polling booths, broken polling booths, and hours-long lines for would-be voters. I'll never forget the media reports from Ohio in 2004 about low-income voters waiting in the rain for six hours to vote. How many 20-year-olds can withstand that type of test to cast a ballot?
Obviously, the Obama campaign is hoping tons will. But I'm taking a "I'll believe it when I see it" stance.
I say let's prove 'em wrong! Let's Register, Organize, and GOTV! If you live near a big university in a battle-ground state (Univ. of Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Univ. of Colorado, etc.), get involved in your local Obama campaign's efforts to register these voters and make sure they get out and vote in November. Bring as many friends as you can with you.
So don't worry about the polls, or the Rovian distractions, or the day-to-day ups and downs of the media cycle. Let's bring our "A Game" and let our game do the talking. Never let 'em see you coming.