Current location:	lurkitty lair
Current mood:	hopeful

Around the bloc
The esteemed Tim Russert said it best:
"I have never in my lifetime observed such a campaign, the level of interest, the level of curiosity, the level of intensity," Russert said. "It's good. It's wonderful. It's awesome for our democracy. The people are engaged. They understand it matters who the president of the United States is."

No matter what your party affiliation is, it is hard to deny that there is something different about this election. With the excitement and intensity of the race, people are putting far more thought and consideration into their vote.

The media has relied on polls to tell which bloc of voters will vote for whom. The problem this year is that people are not ncessarily voting with their bloc.

Voters on both sides of the aisle seem to be putting more thought, consideration and emotional investment into their decision. In Democratic party circles, the most well known of the crossover voters are former supporters of Sen. Clinton who, for a variety of reasons, are saying they will vote for McCain.

The Democrats, however, are not the only party facing defections from traditional voting blocs. The Republicans are seeing some key demographics trending toward Obama. The Evangelical vote, largely held responsible for George W. Bush's wins, is not proving to be as monolithic a bloc as it was before. Distrusting Sen. McCain's commitment to their anti-abortion stance, some voters are examining other issues that are important to them. There is a new PAC targeting evangelicals called Matthew 25 that focuses on centrist issues like the environment and poverty. Matthew 25 has announced its endorsement for Obama.

Catholics are sending signals that Sen McCain cannot automatically count on their vote, despite Vatican opposition to Sen. Obama's abortion stance. Some are giving weight to the importance of ending the conflict in Iraq or taking more aggressive action to end poverty over abortion and other issues. Many hispanic Catholics are choosing Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain because of the candidates' stance on immigration.

Finally, black conservatives are giving voice to the difficulty of this year's decision. Such high-profile conservatives as Gen. Colin Powell, talk show host Armstrong Williams and Congressman J.C. Watts are considering a vote for Obama.

The Obama campaign, with its grassroots emphasis, seems poised to take advantage of the extra consideration individual voters are according their vote. It appears, though, that no demographic is guaranteed for either candidate. The race is on, and it will be a long four months to the finish.