Participation
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 01:48 p.m., February 12, 2008
Updated 01:48 p.m., February 12, 2008
Last week's Kansas caucuses produced an amazing statistic. Tuesday’s Democratic caucuses drew more than 37,000 voters. The Republican caucuses on Saturday drew just over 20,000.
What caused the disparity?
It wasn’t the lack of competitive races. The Democrats were choosing between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, two candidates with large and devoted followings. The Republicans were choosing among two candidates with devoted followings — Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul — and another candidate — John McCain — who evokes less passion from his supporters, but has made up for it in the passionate opposition he has generated among conservative and ultra-conservative Republicans.
Whether they wanted to vote for someone or against someone else, both Republicans and Democrats had good reasons to attend the caucuses.
The disparity in turnout can’t be blamed on the weather. Tuesday night was stormy across most of the state, with rain changing to freezing rain and driving snow. Saturday morning was sunny and relatively warm. The streets were clear and dry. If one party were going to stay home because of the weather, it would have been the Democrats.
Perhaps the greatest motivation for Democrats to turn out was the candidacy of Obama. His campaign promise to end business as usual in Washington has attracted phenomenal numbers of young people — many of them first-time voters. They support their candidate with energy and a single-minded passion that the other candidates can only envy.
Clinton provokes a similar, but more muted, response from her supporters.
But there is passion in GOP ranks as well, particularly among conservatives who have tasted power over the past seven years and are determined to hang onto it.
As a result, Huckabee, McCain and Paul are aiming their campaigns to sway the conservatives and ultra-conservatives whose support and money is perhaps necessary to win the Republican nomination. That is the kind of campaign that energizes the true believers, but excludes all others.
Both Democratic candidates are already gearing their campaigns to broad popular appeal and doing their best to generate a sense of inclusion and common purpose among voters.
Perhaps the turnouts last week were a reflection of the difference between the politics of exclusion and the politics of inclusion.
Will the difference carry over into November? That’s nine months away, which is a lifetime in a political campaign.
But last week’s caucuses indicate an enthusiasm for Democratic candidates that should be disturbing to the leaders of the state’s longtime majority party.
roger (anonymous) says...
The enthusiasm should be a wake up call for the republican party across the entire country. People aren't satisified with the way the government is being run. Blatant favoritism for the rich and big business for years has finally woke people up. Their jobs have been shipped out of the country. You can only run a country for so long counting on the stupidity of the population. Not only are Democrats who don't usually vote waking up but life long Republicans are starting to actually look at the problems. Slick talking radio talk show hosts like Rush limbaugh can only get people to swallow so many lies. Maybe his drug abuse finally alerted some people to his true character. Maybe the fact that people have the internet to find their own answers has helped. If the only ways you get your information is tv and talk radio, Your information is controled by a few very rich people who don't mind getting richer at the cost of our countries economy. The way our country has been run is damaging the whole world. Do the Democrats have the answer? I don't know but if they don't try we will throw them out too.
February 12, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )