SoonerPride
2/8/2012, 07:49 PM
But in Florida, the decline became unmistakable. Maybe it decreased because the Romney and Gingrich campaigns, plus super PACS, spent more than $18 million in the Sunshine State on TV ads, of which 93% were negative in the last week alone, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group. After all, negative ads depress turnout. But after all the mud was thrown, 1.6 million people turned out in the nation's fourth largest state, which might sound impressive until you compare it with the nearly 2 million who turned out in 2008.
Nevada was even worse, with 32,894 people turning out to vote in a state with more than 465,000 registered Republicans. Four years before, more than 44,300 participated in the caucus. Turnout was down more than 25% despite the GOP caucuses being the only game in town. Party officials were expecting a turnout of more than 70,000.
All this should be a wake-up call for the GOP. Despite an enormous amount of national media attention devoted to each of the states to date, the response has been a notable yawn among the Republican rank and file.
The bottom line is that voter turnout matters. And what should be most troubling for Republicans is that this enthusiasm gap among the conservative base is accompanied by a lack of candidates who might appeal to independents and centrist swing voters in the general election. It is a double barrel of bad news for the Republican Party. The numbers can be spun and rationalized by professional partisan operatives all day long, but the fact remains -- voters just aren't turning out to cast their votes for this crop of conservative candidates in 2012.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/08/opinion/avlon-gop-turnout-down/index.html
Thoughts?
Is the right going to be energized enough for a Romney or Santorum or Gingrich lead ticket to defeat President Obama?
Leaving your personal animus out of the equation (or don't if you think you are a typical Republican voter), does the drive to throw Obama out trump the lackluster enthusiasm for whomever the GOP eventually backs?
I'm genuinely interested in your take.
Nevada was even worse, with 32,894 people turning out to vote in a state with more than 465,000 registered Republicans. Four years before, more than 44,300 participated in the caucus. Turnout was down more than 25% despite the GOP caucuses being the only game in town. Party officials were expecting a turnout of more than 70,000.
All this should be a wake-up call for the GOP. Despite an enormous amount of national media attention devoted to each of the states to date, the response has been a notable yawn among the Republican rank and file.
The bottom line is that voter turnout matters. And what should be most troubling for Republicans is that this enthusiasm gap among the conservative base is accompanied by a lack of candidates who might appeal to independents and centrist swing voters in the general election. It is a double barrel of bad news for the Republican Party. The numbers can be spun and rationalized by professional partisan operatives all day long, but the fact remains -- voters just aren't turning out to cast their votes for this crop of conservative candidates in 2012.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/08/opinion/avlon-gop-turnout-down/index.html
Thoughts?
Is the right going to be energized enough for a Romney or Santorum or Gingrich lead ticket to defeat President Obama?
Leaving your personal animus out of the equation (or don't if you think you are a typical Republican voter), does the drive to throw Obama out trump the lackluster enthusiasm for whomever the GOP eventually backs?
I'm genuinely interested in your take.