I'm on vacation this week, but I never stop working for you. As I travel back and forth across the wilds of Cape Cod--searching for the perfect clam chowder--I am conducting a highly unscientific survey. I seek out the back of every moving vehicle, searching for signs of political preference--that is, bumperstickers.

Bumperstickers are a good indicator of what a pollster might call intensity of affinity. For most people, you gotta like someone a lot to deface your car or truck with an adhesive product that is nearly impossible to remove. Think of a bumpersticker as a tattoo. (I've never applied either one to me or my ride.) And here in the Land of Michael Dukakis (and the Land of Mitt Romney), I've noticed a distinct trend: there are plenty of Obama bumperstickers and none for Hillary Clinton. (I've spotted one or two for John Edwards.)

Cape Cod is, of course, a liberal stronghold. And thanks to pollsters we know that well-to-do, highly educated Democrats--who are well represented in this slice of the Bay State--fancy Obama more than Clinton. He has the Volvo vote. But not one bumpersticker for HRC? Clearly, Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet are Obama country. This is hardly bellwether territory--though New Hampshire is only a few hours' drive away. And there is this to keep in mind: though pollsters do try to measure intensity of support for a candidate, what matters in the end is votes, not feelings. Hillary Clinton's campaign surely knows that. Now it's back to the beach, where I'll be checking out the surf...and the parking lot.

If you spot any interesting electoral indicators in your part of the country, email me at cornblog@hotmail.com.

Posted by David Corn at August 9, 2007 09:41 AM