There’s also a tendency to interpret every move made by the opposing party as “if they’re doing this, they must be desperate!” which is hard to distinguish from “if they’re doing this, they want to win.” Last night a few conservatives expressed glee that Senator Kay Hagan was using a radio ad featuring President Obama, appearing to contradict her effort to distance herself from Obama, who is unpopular in her home state of North Carolina.

Hagan may indeed be “desperate,” as the polls are very close. But an equally likely explanation is that using the Obama robocall on the last day means there’s no time for the Thom Tillis campaign, a GOP committee, or a conservative group to spotlight the call and emphasize Hagan’s lockstep support for the president and his policies.