Some call it crazy. Some call it passion. But whatever "it" is, progressive, Democrat leading voters better find it or as foreshadowed by Matt Bevin's stunning victory in Kentucky, 2016 will be a repeat of the disastrous 2014 midterm elections.
A lady named Sandi Uram has a lot of it. Unfortunately, and really quite confounding to me, is that according to a story published recently in the Orlando Sentinel, much of her enthusiasm, obsession or whatever you want to call it is laser-focused on Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson.
Sandi showed up at 4:15 a.m. and was first in line for a book signing event that didn't start until 4:30 p.m. that day! That might sound crazy, but I betcha Sandi's going to vote for Carson or whoever the "conservative" GOP candidate turns out to be. Heck, I was extremely excited about candidate Obama in 2008 and proudly voted for him twice, but I wasn't about to wait 12 hours just to see him.
Anyway, here's an excerpt from the newspaper article (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/...):
Sandi Uram was so eager to meet Ben Carson she staked out a spot at Barnes & Noble at 4:15 a.m. Monday — more than 12 hours before the GOP's hottest presidential candidate arrived.
Uram was first in line among the droves of Carson fans who turned out at the retiree haven 50 miles northwest of Orlando hoping to get a glimpse of the soft-spoken retired neurosurgeon who is shaking up the race for the 2016 Republican nomination.
"I'm so excited because I truly believe he's going to be our next president, and this is the closest I'll be to him," said Uram, who moved to The Villages from northern Illinois a year and a half ago. "How lucky we are that someone of his intelligence would even become a candidate."
We can debate Carson's and Sandi's "intelligence," but there's no debating her genuine excitement over the conservative ideals this man espouses and no debating that if she gets the chance NOTHING will stop her from voting for him. And Sandi's not alone in terms of her passion/fanaticism for voting conservative no matter what, no matter who, no matter when.
What happened Tuesday in Kentucky with Bevin's election is further proof that conservative leaning voters are far more likely to show up and liberal, progressive, Democrat leaning voters don't--especially during non-presidential election years. When I learned voter turnout was less than 30 percent I wasn't surprised Bevin won. Low voter turnout is a recipe for GOP success.
A whole lot of "Sandis" showed up and elected Bevin the next governor of Kentucky. While a whole lot of liberals/progressives (and I think there are some in Kentucky) didn't bother to vote. Now, healthcare coverage for some 400,000 Kentuckians is in doubt.
I'm not saying we need to wait 12 hours in a line to show our enthusiasm or support for our preferred candidate, but progressive voters need to get off Twitter and Facebook registering their anger and frustration over conservatives like Bevin, and start registering voters because it's all about getting out the vote.
Liberals/progressives have to got to get registered and to the polls in droves. Otherwise, America could be looking at a President Carson elected by a whole lot of people like Sandi. And as they've proven time and again, they're going to show up. It's time for progressive voters to match, and preferably exceed, their passion and if necessary, their crazy.