Enthusiasm Gap. Does it spell trouble for the GOP this fall?

[SoonerPride]

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/opinio...own/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.

[Frozen Sooner]

I don't think there's a whole lot of enthusiasm for retaining the President among his base either.

[Sooner5030]

I don't think there is a lot of enthusiasm either way. Can anyone point to anything (other than cleverly named bills) that will really change rather Romney or Obama is the next presiden?. Other than pride because your team lost I cannot think of anything. Here's what will stay the same:

-demographics will continue to make medicare Part A/D and Social Security difficult to fund with current FICA rates compared to benefits
-tax revenues will not increase at the same rate of spending
-the deficit will push the accumulated debt far beyond GDP
-we will gut DoD because it is easy
-we will not touch DHS, DOT, Ag, & Ed
-mandatory spending will continue to crowd out discretionary

[TitoMorelli]

imo it definitely could spell trouble for the GOP. Especially if there isn't enough interest in state or local races across the country to energize its traditional voters.

[ouwasp]

Well, a half-hearted vote still counts. Like most Oklahoma voters, I'll vote for whoever the GOP offers. But I expect BHO to get another term.

[East Coast Bias]

There doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm on this board for any of the candidates either. More talk of getting rid of Obama than anything else. The lack of excitement for Romney is especially noticeable. I believe the economy is the wild card in the election and If things continue to improve Pubs have virtually no chance to win. Romney putting on the face of the 1% every time he talks unscripted plays right into Obama's narrative as well.

[XingTheRubicon]

The 2012 primaries are like a pre-season NFL game. The general will resemble Hagler/Hearns...with Obama being Hearns. The white-guilt votes will disappear, and even moderates will realize that spending 5 trillion dollars for 1% growth, 2 mm net less jobs, complete cluster-f*ck of a housing recovery, and record high fuel prices is not "success."

It's not so much or just that the economy sucks...it's that our food stamp furor spent 5 trillion for it to suck.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

You lost me linking to CNN. Like they don't have a vested interest in O'Bammy.

[badger]

I don't think there's a whole lot of enthusiasm for retaining the President among his base either.

Word. When voters are talking about voting for the "lesser evil" then you know there's a lack of enthusiasm for the choices.

But hey, Americans have been faced with many unappealing choices as of late --- do you default on your mortgage payments, or do you keep throwing money down the drain for an underwater house? Do you pay $3.19 per gallon for gas, or do you hold out a few days and curb your driving in hopes that it'll be below $3 next week? Do you stay in a job you hate because you worry about the economy, or risk being unemployed for months by quitting and trying to find something better?

So, this is just the latest in a series of crappy choices to make.