The Local Enthusiasm Gap

Every now and then, the media trots out a poll about the “enthusiasm gap,” which measures the likelihood of political party followers to vote.

In this election cycle, the enthusiasm gap favors Republicans by as much as 25 percent -– a figure that is as evident in Redlands as it is everywhere else throughout the country.

Since returning to Redlands in October after a stint in the Army, I have been greatly impressed with the efforts of local Republicans and tea party movement followers to turn out for local events. The Democrats, on the other hand, are as lifeless as Obama’s poll numbers. The only example of “excitement” coming from the left reverberates from the so-called Occupy Wall Street, a movement founded in violence and filth, that’s struggling for a coherent message and meaning.

The starkest example of the enthusiasm gap for me occurred in October, when I helped to staff a booth of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots during Market Night, a Thursday night street fair. Our tea party booth was staffed with volunteers who engaged with passers-by and excitedly chatted with stoppers-by.

The nearby Democrat Party booth was moribund. I wondered whether its volunteers were even alive. The only sign of life emanating from that booth was from the Obama cut-out.

Before leaving for Iraq and Afghanistan in January, I attended a December 2010 meeting of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots at the Mill Creek Cattle Company in Mentone. The room was nearly full and there were chairs for everybody.

After returning from the Army in October, I couldn’t help but notice that our meetings – held in the same location -- were now standing room only.

Another example occurred Thursday night, when I attended a debate party hosted by the Redlands Tea Party Patriots as well as News Talk KTIE 590. The room was as fun as it was full.

The so-called enthusiasm gap is easy to explain: Conservatives have customarily kept up with the news and grumbled. They voted and gave a few dollars to candidates, but that was about it. Now, thanks to the socialism and harm Obama has inflicted onto the country, conservatives are wide-awake and breathing fire. They would crawl through razor wire to support and vote for genuine Republicans.  

And why not? Conservatives, this election cycle, have all the creativity, excitement, ideas –- and yes, enthusiasm -- going their way. What are the Democrats going to do? Defend a double-digit recession? $3 gas? A degraded credit rating? 9 percent unemployment? Good luck with that.

The 2012 election is shaping up to become a tidal wave election for conservative Republicans. And the enthusiasm gap on display in Redlands is a microcosm of what’s occurring throughout the country.