Bump
Very few people who stay home will be trying to “teach a lesson.” They simply will not see voting for the available candidates as a compelling reason to go to the polls. For most it won’t be a conscious decision. It will be not getting around to it or going fishing instead. The point is that there won’t be a positive reason to jerk their consciousness. Negative voting just does not attract the crowds of voters that perceived Optimism and Determination do. Not many people voted for Reagan to keep whats-his-name from getting elected. If this election becomes one in which a large segment of the Republican base has to “hold its nose” then too many just won’t get around to it. It will be worse if the Democrat is Hussein Obama. He has the aggressive optimism and the can-do aura that Reagan had but among Democrats and independents. He combines those qualities with zero policy and goal substance which goes a long way to really turn on the Democrat base and will not be felt as sufficiently threatening by Republicans if they are already not enthused by “their” own candidate.