[C. Edmund Wright]

You shouldn’t have to spend political capital wooing votes from your own supporters. The object is to get more of the electorate to vote for you, not to waste time and money on what you already have.

You make TWO HUGE mistakes there dude. First, it's not wasting money on "what you already have" by appealing to the base. That's just not what that means. It means energizing those who are predisposed to support you so that they'll donate in bigger numbers, put yard signs out in bigger numbers, make phone calls in bigger numbers, and generally create a helluva lot of enthusiasm. And oh yeah, turn out to vote in bigger numbers.

It is that last thing, the enthusiasm, that will create momentum and attract the uncommitted....not pretending to be Democrat lite.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Well said, C. Edmund.

[central_va]

Note: the base wants nothing do with Free Trade.

[Maurice Tift]

   so that they'll donate in bigger numbers, put yard signs out in bigger numbers, make phone calls in bigger numbers, and generally create a helluva lot of enthusiasm.

  YES!! I remember being very excited when Reagan was running. I made phone calls at the local Republican HQ, went to the precinct meetings, became a delagate to the Republican State convention at age 19. Yes - it's very important to excite the base! It certainly worked well enough in 1980 to produce a landslide conservative victory.

NBC News - Election Night 1980