BY GARY ANDRES
Reprinted from Weekly Standard
Political enthusiasm is the secret sauce of American politics. When it comes to producing calories for winning elections, it’s the difference between a Big Mac and Lean Cuisine.
But what stimulates this vote-producing electoral flavoring? One party sometimes gets an energy jolt through a combination of forces.
This year Republicans received the extra dollop of zeal on the political menu. Predictable historical conditions explain part of the equation. The “out” party normally enjoys an enthusiasm gap because the “outs” want to become the “ins.”
But Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress also contribute to the GOP’s edge. Their policies and performance – since January 2009 — engender emotions that will create additional GOP electoral punch in November.
At one level, the Republicans enjoy an expected enthusiasm gap. History provides some insights here. In November 1994, with Bill Clinton in the White House and his party in control of Congress, a Gallup survey asked voters if they were “more enthusiastic” or “less enthusiastic” about voting compared to previous elections. Self-identified Republicans said they were more excited by an 11-percentage point margin.