No they don't. Either works, truth be told. We have a winner-take-all system and thus 2 major parties. Push or pull, both can work.
Stop berating those that "sat out". They didn't affect as much of the outcome as those that weren't drawn to a candidate.
They affected the outcome precisely the same: not at all. Sitting out, "not drawn", whatever - if you don't vote, it's the same thing. The difference is that many of these people who "sat out" would have likely voted Republican if they had voted; whereas, those in the general public who just "weren't drawn to" anyone could have flipped either way.
You still don't get it... We have at least 40% of the voting-eligible population in this country that doesn't bother to vote. In every poll of their behavior, their number one reason (by far) is that they don't see it making a bit of difference... politicians are politicians.
The current trend of Democrat and Democrat-lite is growing those numbers. Rather than courting American voters looking for real action on real issues, both parties take their bases for granted (and the mind-numb, CNN-watching Dems can do it more easily) and pander to minority groups.
I'm sorry but saying that it's just as effective to push someone to vote for your candidate as it is to court their support doesn't make it true. You can use that method on those that plan to vote because they just think they have to out of civic duty. You can't draw the disaffected and disenfrancised voter that way.
Guess what: the ranks of the disenfranchised are full of conservatives who see nothing but socialism in our two main political parties. If the GOP would get back on message and say it loudly, we could actually do something in this next election. If instead they give us a Rudy McRomney, you will see a low voter turnout and a Democrat president.