In Johnny We Trust
It really is an extraordinary situation: I don’t think we’ve ever faced such a bizarre, contradictory opinion polling outlook less than two weeks ahead of a vote. The race is either neck and neck, or Chávez is easily ahead. At this point there’s no use torturing the polling tea-leaves for a better answer than that, or hoping for a last minute convergence that just won’t come.
I realize the uncertainty is driving us all slightly batty. I realize we’re angry that the shamanic lords we mislabel pollsters can’t seem to dispel our doubts.
But folks, we might as well take a deep breath, because it’s only going to get worse from here on out. Exponentially worse, building to an insane peak circa 1:30 a.m. on Monday, October 8th, when we’re all going to be good candidates for admission to an insane asylum.
So here is Caracas Chronicles’s patented Survival Guide to the Next 12 Days:
- Pour yourself a nice scotch
- Watch a stupid RomCom
- ‘nother scotch, with a Flores de Bach chaser
- Take a walk around the block
- Hook up that bottle of Johnny Walker directly to an IV drip
- Mix in some Lexotanil with that drip
- Breathe in slowly, exhale, then cry a little
- Repeat steps 1-7
Seriously, we look to polling to attenuate some of the psychological toll of heading into a momentous event without a clear picture of what to expect. This year, that’s not a useful strategy. If you came here looking for us to fill in that gap, keep walkin’.
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