Reading the Minds
of America

Who will win on November 5th?

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I will tell you. I am a mentalist. Similar to a magician, but instead of sleight-of-hand, a mentalist uses sleight-of-mind, so to speak, or “height” of mind, meaning keen observational skills. It's pretty close to mind reading. We (you too) can at times know the thoughts of others, especially the feelings of others, as nearly every human, if sensitive, will notice the inner emotions of their spouse, children and friends. The few good mentalists on the planet perceptively tune in more reliably to feelings and specific thoughts for sometimes amazing results.

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With 29 years experience speaking and performing for nearly every demographic in 45 of the 50 states, with such varied interaction, as a side result I get a deeper measure about what is going on with the political leanings of the fine folks in our vast country.

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And of course, as you might imagine, at nearly every engagement, one or more people ask me, “Who will win the election?” My answer, without pause, is “Eisenhower!”

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Some laughs ensue, and with a puzzled look I continue by asking, “Isn’t he on the ballot?” They realize I’m not going there. Not at all, so they drop the inquiry. Even if I make a statement as “a prediction” about the election, it will most surely cause a stir. It’s not my place to ruffle the air at these events with politics. But here in this article, I will.
 
So, in total seriousness, what are the people thinking at this key moment in the USA’s history? Where are we leaning, especially in key states? Also, will there be resultant violence? And why do people think the way they do when it comes to making their decision?

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Keeping my own predilection out of the prediction equation, what are the inclinations of everyone else?

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First, cutting to the chase of the race, though the current polls show otherwise, the results after the November 5th vote will not be close. The ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will win, and not only win, but they will succeed decisively in the electoral college and in the total vote tally. 

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There! I said it. Scream at me if you’re on the other side of the political spectrum, throw a bouquet at yourself if my prognostication agrees with you, but regardless of your leanings or my own, this is what I read and intuit from across the country, and as long as the Harris/Walz team does not take their collective feet off the gas pedals in each state, and most important, as long as they do not rely on data but rather on what they glean by keeping their ears to the ground in swing states, they will defeat Trump/Vance. (The latter part of this statement is the most important. It is crucial; otherwise the results will be different.)

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Polls and pundits currently see it as a super close race in the swing states, and the October 19th FiveThirtyEight statistical analyses site shows Donald Trump taking a slight lead for the first time in several months, but what I observe from minds and hearts is numerous centrist and former slightly-right-leaning voters are keeping their like or love for Harris/Walz quietly close to the proverbial vest, or if they somehow have not made up their minds, they will mostly move to the left-pointing direction; also many former Trump voters will sit out, and what’s more, the country will vote in record numbers. Even two of the three states of North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia will vote for Harris/Walz, plus there likely will be a surprise state voting for them as well.

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That’s that. Peeking behind the curtain of the masses, reading the minds of America, let's call this a “psychic polling,” for which you might as well give consideration since statistical polling has been unreliable in recent elections; and no, I did not count the votes from the dead (But the deceased will indeed likely vote for Eisenhower.).

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No, my own preference is not part of this prediction. Like the play-by-play host of the Super Bowl, I call it as I see it, keeping my own team out of the equation of what I announce, as I have stated observations in past elections for the success of the Republican side.

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But in this bizarre year of locusts, a full solar eclipse, and northern lights seen in southern states, people wonder will something bizarre occur for this year's election? There are many questions bouncing through our thoughts in addition to the November 5th result. I truly hope I am incorrect on the following, but it is possible an incident involving a candidate's health may occur in the days just prior to, or just after, the election.

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Frightened following the January 6th eruption of nearly four years ago, a question on most minds is, of course, will there be violence or dangerous disruptions around election day, certification time, or the inauguration? Unlike sensing the lean of how people vote, sensing their evolving anger and how they act it out is way beyond my realm, but I do detect the overall general drift is other than minor incidents the country will be mostly peaceful. What we will indeed see are frustrated long lines at certain polling places which have fewer voting machines than needed, precincts with a shortage of ballots, and other inequities popping up in places, with rage and frustration ensuing, also court cases regarding certification and fraud allegations, but no repeat of the January 6th violence.

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Another prevalent question from the left is, how can anyone, even a Republican, vote for a narcissist, a serial liar, a racist, and a person of numerous additional dubious traits? Yes, people on the left and center cannot fathom what is going on in those minds, how anyone, even 25%, 48%, or just 1% of the country can support a candidate of such cartoonishly bloated flaws, such as Donald Trump. Likewise, those on the right staunchly wonder how anyone could vote for Harris.

 

Here’s why.

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By and large, aside from those who are vociferous one-issue voters, and aside from those who are fully entrenched in a political party, I have sensed over numerous election cycles, people predominantly choose a candidate for whom to vote in much the same way we tend to choose a mate. And we all know, there is an epidemic of people choosing wrong mates. All better sense can go out the window, even when the red flags are blocking the window.

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The choice is made primarily with and through emotion. We feel a candidate is superior, they feel right to us, and then we find a logic, or seek out facts or supposed facts, to back up our feeling, to support our position, to help explain it to others and to ourselves. For whatever reason, the “hypnosis” of certain individuals running for office can sway the citizenry seeking a hero.
 
In fact, for the goods we purchase, it has been shown most buying decisions are made by feeling first, justified by logic later. Advertisers know this. They know to initially touch the emotions. There are exceptions, but even the majority of the highly educated are susceptible to this formula.

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In addition, another reason for people voting against their best interests, not just nationally but also in more localized elections, I have sensed for much of this century, the art of what’s known as critical thinking, the ability to discern fact from fiction, is a diminishing trait among a large track of the electorate. This lack of critical thinking skills is also responsible for wild conspiracy beliefs.

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Add radio, podcast and television news sources with a straight face conveying fiction as fact, the discernment for what is real then becomes even more skewed in the thoughts, predispositions, and especially feelings of otherwise truly fine, wonderful, caring, smart, earnest, loving people.
 
And by the way, speaking of heroizing, whether the fervor is for a blemished candidate or for a seemingly solid candidate, supporters consciously or subconsciously expect perfection, a hero, a savior, a legislative magician who will bring utopia.

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Yep. Admit it. You do it. I do it.
 
But the reality is if a President were a combination of Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Marie Curie, Harriet Tubman, and Einstein, and also if all of Congress were the like, they still would be hard-pressed to meet such idealistic expectations. Hm, though I sure would like to try with those names, but that would be voting for the dead again. 

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Speaking of dead, or Congress, that’s where the real battle will ensue on election day with several races decided by fewer than 250 votes, yes, incredibly close — races that will tip the balance of power in the chambers of the House and Senate. At this moment, the second week of October, my perception shows the inclination, the tilt, the disposition of voters currently resulting in the Senate having a 50-50 split and the House with 220 to 224 seats for the Democrats, giving them a majority; but a few weeks ago it was a Republican majority in both branches. And this could tip back and forth all the way until election day.
 
By the way, back to utopia, can some semblance of it become doable, or is it only mythical? When we elect and seat our fellow countrymen in positions of power, isn’t the constitution’s “pursuit of happiness” about them creating the groundwork, a platform, so everyone has the possibility to attain the happiness.

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Can government do this in a great way, or only increments as it has done from time to time, belying the greed of a few to help give a fair shot to the many? It’s another discussion for another article, yet I mention it because in reading the minds of America, it is indeed greatly on the minds of most everyone across our amber waves of grain and purple mountains majesty from sea to shining sea.

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Between those oceans, our ultra-fragile miracle of the United States democracy is nearing its 250th birthday. The anniversary is not on most minds now, but soon will be, and perhaps fittingly this current threat of losing it all, losing any possibility of true fairness was meant as a reminder as we approach the milestone. Be it providence or coincidence, maybe it was a message to always stand guard against a self-absorbed ego overriding the larger collective of healthy egos.
 
One final prediction. You will vote, whether it’s early or on time, yes, you will vote. Even if all the other prescience in this piece is somehow inaccurate, in reading the minds of America, I sense this prognostication will be right. You will make it so.
 

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SIDNEY FRIEDMAN is a mentalist, futurist, author, music composer and speaker with frequent appearances on Chicago media, such as WGN MORNING NEWS, and occasional national media appearances, such as on the Today Show or The View. He is known for his Mind Power Show for corporate and social events, his 74% overall prediction accuracy through a 29 year span, and has penned several books including the former best-selling Your Mind Knows More Than You Do. ​

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