re: Who didn't think Arnold was winning?
The headline in the October 5th Mercury News read in huge print, "Davis Still Lags, But Recall Support Loses Ground in Poll"
Below, the current poll results were printed: Yes on recall, 54 percent. No on recall, 41 percent. A margin of 13 points.
In any normal election, this would be a goddam landslide. "Lags?" The smaller headline on another front page article read, "Late Opinion Shift Keeps Race Uncertain." 13 points is "uncertain?"
The only time I have seen blind optimism like this is in the end of the fourth quarter from diehard football fans whose team is 21 points behind.*
*And yes, I know about last Monday's game. You still get my point.