I don't know if this is "enthusiasm," but...

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Democrats are around 50%, year in, year out. Republicans ebb and flow dramatically in heaving cycles.

The last chart on this page is interesting in that respect:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/127439/Election-2010-Key-Indicators.aspx

To me, the measure of how Republicans are doing is public assholery. When Republicans are doing well there is a lot of bullying... people intentionally say hateful things in public in a provocatively loud tone. They want a fight.

In 1994 and 2002 and 2004 I couldn't go to nay public eatery without hearing Limbaugh listeners aggressively challenging the whole place with loud idiocy. In 2006 and 2008 those loud-mouths talked about sports or money.

The other night I had a drunk man come up to a group of people talking in the parking lot of a bar/restaurant and start screaming at the group that "Obama is a fucking joke! I hate him! He's a socialist. A socialist!"

It was provoked by nothing... there was no political conversation going on. No shirts or stickers. And they guy was doing it with the assumption that this group of strangers would embrace his view.

He felt so empowered to yell these things.

Enthusiasm? Emotional breakdown? Simple madness?

Not really meaningful distinctions when the RW is involved.

[ejpoeta]

1. it's manufactured by the msm. they keep saying how the dems are deflated and the

tea partiers, and they try to prop them up as this whole movement, are going to take back the country. without ever exploring what that means exactly. from who? and why? just keep parroting it. i know my brother seems emboldened to spout off. i notice he never does it in front of my sister.... i believe she was born a democrat and is pro choice all the way. they won't even say a word in front of her because she doesn't just take it. and they can't take the criticism she would give. if someone sends her emails she will email back check your information with a snopes link. but they feel fine spouting their crap to me. they put stickers on their vehicles FUBO and other equally flattering ones. if i dared to put a sticker on my car i'd never hear the end of it. and while i don't mind discussions about things, they are not interested in facts. glen beck says so is fact enough for them . and there is no discussing. anything you try to say may be an actual fact but to them it is a lie. it is pointless to even try.