Poker, Waves & the Three E’s

If I were a poker player, I would declare “All In!”  It is in this spirit that I share a few of the thoughts/theories that have been bouncing around in my head over the past seven months:

  • Since early May, I have felt that Barack Obama would win Indiana and the White House. There you go, it’s now officially in print forever that I am going against over 40 years of Presidential history in Indiana.
  • There are two waves going on in Indiana:  One is the Barack Obama wave and the second is the Mitch Daniels wave. Both have run superb campaigns, taken advantage of massive fundraising efforts, pushed the use of internet campaigning to new heights and are clearly agents of “change.” To me, the bigger question is: “Which wave — Obama or Daniels — will carry the statewide, Congressional and House races across the finish line?”
  • First time voters WILL be the determining voter group in several races on the ballot from President down to State Representative. The amount of attention focused on this new group has been considerable, but this group deserves even more discussion than it is receiving.
  • The 3 E’s — emotion, enthusiasm and excitement — explain the three points above. To me, the biggest story of this election cycle arguably is what has driven so many people, especially first time voters, to vote.  Campaigns and issues driven by these 3 E’s are hard to measure, hard to stop and attract many new people. This applies to political, corporate or charity campaigns. Remember: Emotion drove millions of people to donate money, clothes and even blood following disasters like Katrina and 9-11, and it is emotion, enthusiasm and excitement that are driving people to vote in this election right now.

I believe a wave of significant importance is now taking place in Indiana and the country. I will save my thoughts on how the Indiana House races will be impacted for a posting closer to the election.

Leave a Reply