The Obama Rules

Pete Snyder has a balanced take on the '08 campaign:

As a former pollster, across the board I saw the “undecideds” shrink much earlier than in past cycles. Voters were making up their minds earlier than in the past. Virginia allowed early voting six weeks in advance. By the time “Election Day” actually rolled around, nearly 35-40% of the entire electorate of America had already voted. Because both consumers and voters are now in control, in many places it’s no longer Election Day, its Election Month.