On The Glenn Show, Glenn and John discuss the role of race in the presidential election. John predicts Obama will win—but, should Romney somehow prevail, John preemptively rejects the “Obama lost because he’s black” argument. Glenn thinks, whether pro or con, that it’s infantile politics to focus on Obama’s race. John argues that Obama has actually been quite a pro-black president. Glenn imagines how Romney’s election might actually be good for blacks, and enumerates ways in which the policies of the Democratic Party and the interests of blacks do not align. John, citing the sociologist William Julius Wilson, advocates that progressive politics should focus on class, not race. Finally, Glenn explains why he thinks, despite the polls, that Romney just might win.

On Adamize, Jamelle Bouie predicts an Obama win, unless Romney turns out to have probability-altering powers, and Adam skeptically considers the argument that an Obama win would be illegitimate. Adam argues that conservatives’ recent obsession with Nate Silver is the result of his debunking of the Romney campaign’s claims of Mittmentum. Adam and Jamelle both worry about the racial ramifications of an Obama loss, and predict the legislative activity of a second Obama term. They close by considering people who support Romney because they think he’s lying.

On Friedersdorf, Conor and Max expand on their recent Twitter debate over third-party presidential candidate Gary Johnson. Max argues that Johnson’s libertarian economic policies are no less immoral than Obama’s drone strikes. Conor defends Johnson’s record as governor of New Mexico, but Max charges that conservative operatives now run Johnson’s campaign. Conor clarifies that he supports left-wing third-party candidate Jill Stein over either Romney or Obama. They partly agree that the conservative judicial philosophy poses a threat to civil liberties, but disagree on Johnson’s foreign policy. Conor maintains that Johnson is a competent leader, and Max notes that he wouldn’t support a third-party candidate if he lived in a swing state. Finally, they debate over whether libertarians and progressives can find common ground.

On a special pre-election Foreign Entanglements, Rob and Matt discuss the right’s war on Nate Silver/statistics, and the left-right “hack gap.” If Romney does pull it out, what will the foreign policy wonk space look like? Why is there such a market for progressive critiques of Obama? They move on to recent disclosures about Benghazi, arguing that conservatives have crossed the line in using the attack to slam Obama. Finally, what does the Israeli-Palestinian conflict look like on Nov. 7?

On Critic Proof, Alyssa and Jamelle discuss the news that Disney is buying Lucasfilm and planning new Star Wars films. Will they respect the canon established by the Expanded Universe novels? They both hope to see women and minorities have more prominent roles in the series. Alyssa thinks the new films could reflect current events, while Jamelle says the focus needs to be on storytelling. Would Star Wars work better as a TV show? They regret how the prequels condescended to children and recall how they enjoyed the original films as kids. Who should direct the new movies? Finally, Alyssa hopes Disney will respect the franchise’s continuity, and Jamelle hopes for a rerelease of the pre-Special Edition original trilogy.

On The DMZ: The war over Nate Silver and his FiveThirtyEight election model. Can the polls really tell us who is going to show up on election day (and before)? Why is Chris Christie being so effusive in his praise of Obama? How will Hurricane Sandy affect the election? Why can’t conservatives learn to love FEMA? Plus: Matt argues that Mitt would govern as a moderate.

On The Posner Show, Sarah and religion scholar Sarah Sentilles discuss Richard Mourdock’s comments about rape and pregnancy. What would happen if politicians like Mourdock had to offer a non-religious justification for their views? How prevalent is the view that God controls everything that happens in the world? Sentilles argues that appeals to religion lets politicians off the hook. The Sarahs agree that Mourdock and Akin display a misunderstanding of rape. What should we make of the idea that Hurricane Sandy is God’s will? Finally: What happens when women talk about God?