Before we get into the tidal wave of a landslide tomorrow, here are a few choice numbers from last week’s New York Times/CBS News poll. They suggest the voters’ positions are not quite so clear as the expected results in the midterms.

Likely voters favor Republicans over Democrats by six points. But when asked whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Republicans, 41 per cent say favorable. A similar question about Democrats gives them a 46 per cent favorable rating. So Republicans trail Democrats in approval ratings, but lead them as a matter of voting choice.

Voters are not pulling the lever for or against Obama; 42 per cent say it has nothing to do with him. In fact, 56 per cent say they feel optimistic about the next two years with Obama as president. They are also not voting to put the GOP in power or kick Democrats out of power; 43 per cent say there’s another reason for their voting choice.

On the biggest issue - the economy - 51 per cent say the economy is where they expected it to be at this point of Obama’s presidency. Fully 68 per cent think the downtown is temporary. And the two biggest sources of blame for the poor economy are the Bush administration and Wall Street. Yet a majority also doesn’t think Obama has a clear plan to create jobs.

Confused? You will be.