We know there’s an enthusiasm gap. Anecdotally we know of people who will stay home who are disillusioned with Hopeychange.
Question to the crystal ballers: Do we really have a good handle on the Republican apathy segment?
When we are on the most rightwing site which is run by a gentleman who threatened to zot anyone who actively campaigned for the GOP candidate, shouldn’t we assume that the “sit home and teach the GOPe a lesson” faction is even more vehement than those disillusioned by unicorns and skittles?
Not me. Don’t know anyone else around me who feels that way either.
not remotely. i have said repeatedly that i know NOT ONE conservative in my real life (and i have friends and family across the country) who will sit home rather than vote for Romney. The % of unappeasable purist, seen only on FR in my experience, is tiny.
If I remember correctly, the owner reversed that one.
Nice smarmy way to phrase your question. Jim didn't zot people who actively campaigned for the GOP candidate, he zotted people who nastily attacked those who dared to express support for candidates other than the anointed GOP-e candidate, as well as people who mistakenly assumed that the "Republic" part of the name "Free Republic" meant that it was a Republican forum, and therefore believed that it was open season on anyone who didn't toe the GOP line.
Notwithstanding, after the dust cleared, and Jim decided that it would not be in America's best interest to give Obama another four years, he graciously relented and stopped his attacks on Romney.
Oh, and I would refrain from calling Free Republic the "most rightwing site". It is a conservative site. There's a difference. If you want a rightwing site, go find a skinhead site somewhere.
Romney-the-RINO is not what ANY Conservative would like to see in there, but the alternative is a vomit-inducer, for sure.
In the real world, I have not come across a single person who has expressed that Romney will cause them to stay home. I came across tens of people in 2008 who said they would stay home because of McCain or said they only voted because of Sarah. I have one friend who says Romney will lose because he is too liberal and Paul voters won’t support him, but he plans on voting for Mitt.
Even here on FR, the folks who say they’ll take their ball and go home are far, far fewer than they were in 2008. Heck, they might even be fewer than the 2004 “won’t support Bush’s war, won’t support Bush” contingent.
Romney apathy is the PUMA of this election. A complete non-factor.