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Nolan Out Loud: Call him nuts, but squirrel says Trump

Nolan Finley
The Detroit News
Eric Woelkers of Flat Rock made this photo of an adorable squirrel "enjoying dinner while perched on a branch" at Lake Erie Metro Park.

Could the polls be wrong again?

The consensus of surveys in the presidential race show President Donald Trump down double digits and fading nationally.

But there are some signs that the polls could be missing the same trends they missed in 2016.

Here’s an indicator that should be watched closely. Republicans say their early vote tracking show a roughly equal number of Democrats and Republicans have returned their mail-in and absentee ballots so far in the key states of Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

That’s significant because vote by mail is supposed to fall in Democratic favor. If that’s wrong, and Election Date balloting goes to Trump as expected, we’re in for another big surprise.

In addition, Expert.ai, an artificial analysis firm that uses a technique called “sentiment analysis” to gauge voter preference, puts the race at 50-47 in Joe Biden’s favor, much closer than most polls.

And finally, ChrisChris, a prognosticating squirrel in South Carolina, when  two bowls of nuts were set before him, picked the one bearing Trump’s name.

Double standard

It wasn't even close. Donald Trump won his debate with Savanah Guthrie during the NBC Town Hall. Guthrie stood in for Joe Biden, who was over on ABC at the same time enjoying a friendly get together George Stephanopoulos. Guthrie argued with the president on every question, while Biden rarely faced a query tougher than "Who's your favorite Kardashian." It was media bias on full display. 

What about Hunter?

What Joe Biden’s didn't have to talk about and should have is the new emails that suggest the former vice president was lying when he said he never met with son Hunter Biden's Ukrainian business partners. After the New York Post found emails from a Ukrainian executive thanking Hunter for introducing him to his father, the Biden campaign says he “might” have met with his son's partners. Facebook and Twitter have tried to suppress the story. But influence peddling is a serious thing, and Biden should have to offer a better explanation. 

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Twitter: @NolanFinleyDN

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