National elections have been getting tighter and tighter. According to a recent poll, Senator Clinton is seen more favorably that Senator Obama, though Obama remains in the lead with more primary delegates, though superdelegates, opposing the people of their party, also favor Clinton. It's neck-and-neck for the Democrat nomination.

The poll also gives a race between Senators McCain and Obama to McCain by a margin of four percentage points, but with a margin of error of 2 percent either way. Neck-and-neck. A similar showdown between McCain and Clinton has very similar projected results.

So it will come down to a few thousand folks in some key county in a state no one visits. Again. And the final results of the popular vote will be 49 point something percent to 50 point something percent. And the electoral college, not quite in synch with the popular count, will decide the winner with the same kind of photo finish, though with or against the popular count is a toss-up.

Why is this? The nation is extremely evenly divided, though it didn't start that way. What is the process that makes it so even? Is it some kind of obscure feedback loop that makes people switch sides if their side gets too much of a lead? It seems to me that a 55/45 split would be more likely. Or 60/40. This has to be about more than chance or parties or political theories. Is there some mechanism that drives large populations to split so evenly on big questions? It seems to me this is an area where an economist doing a study could find himself in Nobel territory.

Edit: Just found this NYTimes article.

Trish, playing Mariah's butt like bongos.