It’s the Turnout Stupid

By no stretch of the imagination am I pretending to be as smart as or smarter than those who do politics for a living but as a connoisseur of this mess, I do develop a few thoughts and opinions every now and again.

Many professionals say that if the economy gets worse, President Obama will have a harder time getting a second term and I can see their reasoning for it but I think that a few opposers of this president have discovered a more plausible reason to deny him a second term.  It is in the turnout.  Many voters who are very much aware of the tactics being played by those who are really trying to block their vote will be driven to the polls for that reason alone but it’s those who are so confident that they do not have to bother because of the lack-luster opponents fielded by the GOP that worries me.  We saw this in the midterms which now explains clearly why we are in the position we find ourselves today.

Many will surmise that surely the others will not let these weak candidates displace this president and schedule something else in the place of going to the polls.  These will also be the very same people who cry foul if more than they thought stay home and this president really is denied.  When commentators, pundits and professionals say that those in power do not really care about which one of their candidates gets into office because all they care about is beating Obama, they are not kidding.  They are not kidding because they know that the strings will be attached and their puppet will dance to their music.  You do not have to take my word for it listen to Grover Norquist as captured by Brad Woodhouse, Communications Director for the Democratic National Convention.  “At last week's Conservative Political Action Conference, GOP ringleader Grover Norquist talked about who he wants in the White House:  "All we have to do is replace Obama. ... We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Paul Ryan budget. ... We just need a president to sign this stuff."

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where they are headed and with this extreme rhetoric coming from those seeking to represent the entire country of a select few, voters have a choice.  You can either stand up and be counted or sit back and be left out.