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Heading into election day, President Obama and Mitt Romney are nearly deadlocked in the polls, yet both sides appear confident — too confident — that victory is at hand. Obama has a slim
lead in several key swing states, so political analysts say he has a better chance of piling up the 270 votes needed to win in the Electoral College. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney still has plenty
of viable paths to the White House. Luckily, several prognostication systems that enthusiasts consider more effective than polling have reached emphatic conclusions. Here, four
not-quite-airtight omens:
"It's called the Redskins Rule," says John Lauinger at the New York Daily News. If the Washington, D.C., professional football team wins its final home game before the election, the
incumbent party holds onto the White House. The rule has held true in 17 of the 18 election-year seasons since the team moved to the nation's capital in 1940. That's bad news for President
Obama, since the 'Skins lost, at home, to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 21-13. "If Mitt Romney defeats President Obama, he should send every member of the Carolina Panthers a thank-you
card."
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