wash, rinse, repeat 1000 X every year... "conditioning' is so important

the people who decide what stories get coverage and what stories do not, which candidates are to be taken seriously and which ones are lampooned, etc. etc. etc. are the same people who determine what narratives, memes, story lines, and timetables are to be followed. the art of "conditioning" the public to accept things that would previously have caused rebellion. the constant taking of temperatures via alternate messages plays its role.

in the election of 2008, one of two outcomes must take place. no, not which candidate prevails.

the two "stories" to choose from are either: a: another 'close' race in which the winner will not be known until late at night on election day or later. or b: an increasingly foregone conclusion from days, perhaps weeks before election day.

i suspect that the 'powers that be' will opt for developing option "b" under the assumption that the social fabric of the nation, especially in it's current level of polarization, to endure another close election, particularly one in which one candidate receives more total votes than the other, but fewer electoral college votes, would tear apart the remaining ties between many opposing demographic groups in the still semi-United States. (urban/rural, young/old, black/white, male/female, educated/uneducated to name a few)

if so, the "conditioning" must begin soon, if it hasn't already. for Democrats have been 'conditioned' to expect disappointment and would easily succumb to a 'heartbreak' moment, but Republicans have marginalized themselves by their record. demographics, historical pendulum swings, and current sentiments and events are all conspiring to deliver a change in course and priorities.

yet, if the election is to be close, it will be because "they" wanted it to be, knowing fully well it's likely consequences.