I worked as a local election official last November. The comparison between the R and D operations was so sad it could make one cry. The D’s had 6:1 personnel, all of whom had small computers (tablets?) to check off targeted voters to be sure they came to vote.
They had ever base covered all day long. And, of course, they had a very clean cut, pleasant and charming, business-y looking Spanish speaking man to assist voters.
The Republicans on the other hand were represented by one grumpy old white guy who has come to typify the party. He came to the polling station itself during set up and was loudly attacking the elections chief for some perceived slight. It was just downright embarrassing.
The Democrats get rich through elections. They are always going to be highly motivated to win. We have to work smarter than them. We are going to have to do better than Rinse Prius, or whatever his name is, and Karl Rove. I think Alan West gets it. He understands that a lot of the military staff ideas can be applied to campaigns. He “sees” how it should be.
Of course. Dims don’t have to work for a living, so they have plenty of paid “volunteers.”
The people who go out and bring in Republican voters, the ‘troops’ at the precinct level, are conservatives.
Mitt Romney is politically incompetent, and his campaign reflected that fact. He spent most of the primary slamming conservatives.
People forget that a politician asks you to vote for him/her. The well oiled machine belonged to the Tea Party and the grassroots.
Romney never tried to reach out and convince them to vote for him. The really stupid thing he did was fail to include Sarah Palin in the Convention activities.
You cannot be elected if you alienate the base!