Low Turnout and the Big Tune-Out

[Rokke]

Wall Street Journal:

Let's turn to low turnout in the Republican races. Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri this week were all down, Iowa and New Hampshire were flat, Florida, that Little America, was down almost 15%. All this in a volatile race, in a time of crisis.

What are the reasons? Maybe it's the increasing negativity of the campaign, maybe it's widespread dissatisfaction with the field. Maybe it's that, and more.

There are some small indicators something else may be going on. Cable news ratings, which should spike in an election year, and which indicate interest on both the left and the right, are relatively flat, with mild increases here and there. Broadcast evening news ratings continue their gradual decline. One network anchor, on being urged to capture more of the joy and ferocity of the Republican contest, sighed. "Every time we show those guys, our numbers go down." A major website operator tells me people aren't clicking on political stories.

But it's not confined to the Republican side. Look at President Obama's State of the Union numbers. That speech famously blankets all television and radio networks. His first speech to a joint session of Congress, in February 2009, drew 52 million viewers. A year later the State of the Union had an understandable fall-off to about 48 million. In 2011, another fall: 43 million watched. A few weeks ago his 2012 State of the Union drew just 38 million. From 52 to 38: That's quite a decline. And again, during an continuing crisis and in a presidential election year. As for the president's interviews and other speeches, well, when was the last time you heard someone ask excitedly, "Did you hear what Obama said?"

Whose numbers are up? The NFL's.

[Rokke]

I had a vomit bag next to me as I read the latest from Peggy, but actually, I think she wrote an interesting and insightful column. First time in years. I excerpted one part, but the whole thing is a pretty good read.

[Rheo]

Now is the time for the church to show it's alive. How?

 

• Educate. Unconfuse the issues. Take a different aspect of the ruling and its deeper meanings every week, and pound away.

 

• Reach out. This is bigger than the Catholic Church. Go to the mainline Protestant churches, evangelicals, synagogues and mosques. Plead for vocal, public and immediate support: "If the church is forced to go against its conscience, religious liberty in America is not safe. If religious liberty is not safe, you are not safe."

 

• Know your people. Mr. Obama carried secular Catholics overwhelmingly in 2008. But churchgoing Catholics were evenly split, 51% to 49% for John McCain. These are the voters the president could lose by huge margins over the ruling. And he will, if they fully understand it. Such a loss could determine the 2012 outcome. He knows it, you know it. Have faith in the people in the pews. Give it to them straight, week after week, and they'll back the church overwhelmingly. The White House is watching. Pound away.

 

• Call for Democratic support. Religious liberty should not be a partisan issue. Republicans have come to the fore, but it's better for the church if Democrats do too.

 

They're starting to come over. Make clear from the pulpit that members of both parties are absolutely essential in this fight. "All hands on deck."

 

You can win. Keep the faith. Literally: Keep it.

[nickydog]

Yep, that was was good.