In 2008, in Idaho’s 1st U.S. House district, Republican Bill Sali lost his office to Democrat Walt Minnick. In 2010, Minnick in turn lost it to Republican Raul Labrador. Question: Which of these Republicans, Sali or Labrador, would you suppose won about 45,000 more votes than the other in these elections? You can guess where this is going: Sali, in losing, took 171,687 votes, while Labrador, winning this year – in a strong win by a strong margin – took 126,231 votes: Far fewer. Look closely at the vote totals in the two elections and you find what sure looks like evidence in Idaho of that vaunted enthusiasm gap: A relatively larger number of Democrats not voting in 2010 who had in 2008. The closer you look, the more it looks that way/Randy Stapilus, Ridenbaugh Press. More here.

• The benefits of serving/The Stupid Shall Be Punished
• Let games begin at Reagan Library/Dennis Mansfield
• Non-starting tax proposals/Fort Boise
• Consequences of Republican 'Bizarro World' validation/43rd State Blues
• Crapo and earmarks/Idaho Conservative Blogger
• My, oh my! Put away the rye bread .../The Johnson Report
  

Question: Stapilus acknowledges a dropoff in voters can be expected in a nonpresidential year. But the dropoff for Minnick was steeper than the one for Labrador. Do you know a Demo who refused to vote for conservative Minnick?