Based on current polls -- yes, yes, I know that things change --
here is how the electoral college breaks down (270 needed for a win):
BO - 243
JM - 295
HRC - 286
JM - 252
these numbers are generous as well since many of the states in BO's column will NEVER go democratic.
Again: Polls change over time. Polls contradict each other. Polls can be wrong or phony. The numbers and their interpretation are endlessly debatable. (Will Virginia and New Mexico really go for Obama? I don't think so.) There is no need for you to tell me these things, because I already understand them.
But I also suspect that the Democratic candidate will get no post-convention "bounce" (perhaps even a "negative bounce") if the proceedings inside the hall degenerate into chaos, while the "Recreate '68" movement wreaks havoc outside. At the Republican convention, John McCain will look like everyone's beloved Grandpa as he presides over a smooth propaganda extravaganza emphasizing order, unity and patriotic virtue.
By the way, I'm glad to see
someone else say something that has troubled me for a while:
Obama's weakness among Latinos and Jews could conceivably put California's 55 electoral votes in play. Los Angeles County delivered an 831,000 vote plurality for John Kerry in 2004. Most of that plurality came from areas with large numbers of Latinos and Jews.