Glad tidings! In the 14th Weekly Reader voter survey, the young readers of a magazine you may remember from your own youth have chosen Barack Obama over John McCain. More importantly, these kids have accurately picked the winning candidate in 12 of the last 13 races. (The one they blew was Bush I over Clinton — kids!)

Some might argue that the WR voters, who range in grade from kindergarten to seniors in high school, are echoing what their parents are saying. True, a lot gets filtered down at the dinner table, providing you talk politics at the dinner table. (Actually, how could you not?) But I suspect that there is also that bullshit detector which is more sensitive among young children. Like dogs, they hear Obama and are reassured whereas McCain is a little too scary. 

Halloween costumes are also supposed to be indicative of the winner, but we split the difference this season. This years biggest selling Halloween costumes are the Obama mask and the Sarah Palin outfit (which is bound to get some kinky action come Halloween, especially after the clips to Larry Flynt’s “Nailin’ Paylin'” were made public), with a few additional Joe the Plumber costumes thrown in for good measure. 

McCain’s face, choked with rage, is just a little too real for masqueraders; he is starting to look like one of those doomed dancers at the end of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? plodding along with decreasing conviction until someone sounds the gong. The ghosts he has resurrected — Ayers, Wright, the very specter of socialism, for goodness’ sake — don’t spook anybody any more. They are like his anomalistic historical references: he calls himself a Teddy Roosevelt Republican and compares his opponent to Herbert Hoover. “Huh?” say the kids. When they talk about dead presidents, they mean money. 

Maybe if McCain had found a way to talk about the economy, a consistent way that is, he would have more than a ghost of a chance now. But donning the costume of Wall Street scourge and friend of the working class this late in the game isn’t going to fool anyone. Give that kid a box of raisins.