The Republican Malaise

Here we are early in the primary season, with the Florida Primary today, and promises of a double digit Romney victory, and it seems that Republican voters are still unimpressed with the field of candidates that remain.

According to the Pew Research Center, Republicans are singularly unexcited about their candidates. They report that the 44% of Republican or Republican-leaning voters dissatisfied with their field of candidates in early January have been joined by additional voters. The opinion group has grown to 52% dissatisfied at the end of January.  

And when asked which of the possible November candidates have an understanding of the needs of average Americans, 55% said that President Obama understands our needs, but Romney is flagging at 39% and even fewer believe Newt Gingrich has his hand on the pulse of American needs.

Republicans, in short are suffering through a malaise that is looking like what Democrats went through in 2010. When you are that unenthusiastic about your candidates, how do you justify dragging yourself to the polls to vote?

I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. This primary season is going to be hopelessly skewed to the right. Only the truly fanatical fringe will bother to show up at their primaries – or ones truly committed to a 1 term presidency for Barack Obama. The latter are Romney voters. The former is anyone’s guess.

And what will that mean in November? Such a lack of enthusiasm for the most probable nominee, Romney, means a walk in the park for Democrats. And I am beginning to sense a growing enthusiasm among Democrats as they begin to smell blood in the water.

The growing Republican Malaise is only good news for Democratic voters.