Editorial: Down to the wire

‘ ‘ ‘ Eight days from now, people across the country are going to elect either Sen. John McCain… ‘ ‘ ‘ Eight days from now, people across the country are going to elect either Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Eight days might not seem like a long time, but according to both candidates it’s long enough to change the outcome of the entire election, and Pennsylvania could be at the center of that swing. ‘ ‘ ‘ Both Obama and McCain are putting heavy efforts into winning Pennsylvania during the next week. Obama is speaking in Mellon Arena this afternoon, and McCain is making campaign stops in Pottsville, Quakertown and Hershey today and tomorrow. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We have to win Pennsylvania … So we’re going to do everything we can,’ said Tom Ridge, former Pennsylvania governor and a national co-chair of the McCain campaign, at a Friday press conference. The next week is shaping up to turn the state into a massive battleground as McCain tries to chip away at Obama’s lead. ‘ ‘ ‘ Regardless of the polls, both candidates are obviously preparing for a close race. McCain guaranteed victory in an interview with Tom Brokaw on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ yesterday, but he also said that ‘it’s going to be tight, and we’re going to be up late.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ According to most polls in the state, that lead could be as high as 13 percentage points, and RealClearPolitics’ average of Pennsylvania polls gives Obama a 10.8 percent lead. And though these polls aren’t definitive, all the statistics are well outside the margin of error, meaning Obama’s lead in Pennsylvania is more than just a statistical anomaly. ‘ ‘ ‘ Obama’s national lead is less secure ‘mdash; as few as 5 percentage points according to some polls, but as high as 12 points in others. Several of these results are close to ‘mdash; though still outside ‘mdash; the margin of error, so Obama’s lead could be as low as just a few points. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCain staffers have also said that he must win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin or Minnesota to have enough votes in the Electoral College to win the election. Of these three, Pennsylvania’s 21 votes trump Wisconsin’s 17 and Minnesota’s 10, a fact that could give it particular importance to McCain’s campaign. ‘ ‘ ‘ With Election Day so close, it’s easy for voters to think that the race is over and to lose enthusiasm, but both candidates are staying active to try and defeat the competition. ‘ ‘ ‘ And it’s important for voters not to fall victim to election fatigue and simply let the coverage wash over them. ‘ ‘ ‘ Regardless of which candidate you’re planning to vote for, the importance of remaining active and encouraging participation can’t be understated, especially in a major battleground state a week away from the election. ‘ ‘ ‘ Both Obama and McCain supporters are going to have to fight for a win here next Tuesday, as both of the candidate’s actions can attest. They wouldn’t be here if they thought the state was a lock. ‘ ‘ ‘ In an election as long as this one ‘mdash; it’s been nearly two years since the primary election campaigns began ‘mdash; losing focus and getting tired of politics is not only possible, it’s likely for the majority of voters. With only a week left, in such a key state in an enormously important election, being active has never been more important.