I have been voting in presidential elections since 1976.  I've never missed one.  That makes me a likely vote. I have also been a registered independent (unaffiliated) since 1976.

Those who pay attention will have noticed that the designated deciders in this election are not the right-wing religious ideologues, or the fat-cat economic conservatives, or even the mythical Reagan Democrats.  It's not women.  It's not NASCAR dads, or miscellaneous sport event driving moms. 

No, it's us independents.

Now, I know what you're going to say.  What about the uncountable, newly registered, cell phone toting masses?  Well, they're probably out there, but it's not clear yet whether they'll be allowed to vote, and even if their votes do count, they're not really showing up in the polls right now so they don't exist as far as the MSM is concerned.

That leaves us independent voters.  And boy have I been getting the phone calls.  In the past 2 weeks I've participated in at least 4 polls, including two of those "messaging testing" things that we're not allowed to call push-polls even though that's what they amount to.

And these guys are asking for me, the independent, not my wife the life-long democrat.  I am actively being stalked by folks who want to know if I'd change my vote if I knew Jeff Merkley talks to reporters with his mouth full, or that Barack Obama once consulted a weatherman to see which way the wind blew. 

Yep, I'm finally somebody, I'm the decider, and no, I'm not going to be changing my vote just because you tell me that David Wu was made in Taiwan.