Enthusiasm poll shows Obama losing support across base

A new CNN poll reveals an "enthusiasm gap" between Republicans and Democrats over the upcoming 2012 presidential election.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In CNN's latest poll, Republican voters report they are far more enthusiastic about the upcoming election than Democrats. The poll, which was conducted over the weekend, said that almost 2/3 of Republicans describe themselves as either extremely enthusiastic, or very enthusiastic, about voting in 2012. The precise numbers were 38 percent, and 23 percent respectively.

Democratic enthusiasm has dropped. Only 21 percent of Democrats say they are extremely enthusiastic about voting, and 22 percent described themselves as very enthusiastic about voting. The number is a slight decrease since the last time they were assessed in June.

These figures are critical. They show that President Obama is losing support across his Democratic base. Although the election is more than a year away, head-to-head surveys show that President Obama barely leads the top Republican contenders. That is likely to change, once the Republicans decide who their presidential candidate will be, and they close ranks behind one individual.

Still, President Obama has several advantages. For one, he has raised far more money than any of his Republican rivals. Mandated disclosures published over the weekend show that President Obama has raised $70 million for his reelection campaign, while Republican contenders such as Romney and Perry, have raised a mere $30 million combined.

President Obama is also using technology to his advantage. Databasing technology, flashy websites, and even smart phone applications are being deployed by the Democratic Party to reelect Obama. In addition to putting their message before voters, they have the ability to target their message more precisely than the Republican challengers.

Traditionally, Democrats have been very good at motivating their people to turn out and vote, but if Democratic enthusiasm wanes a good number just may stay home. And if that happens, President Obama's tenure will come to an end in January, 2013.

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