Apathy Loses

   Shallow current on the fringe runs faster than deeper waters midstream.

   Those who don't vote have no standing to complain when their side loses.

   Minority extremists who exercise their right to vote count on mainstream apathy that lets them float to victory.
  This is not a new phenomenon -- Theodore Roosevelt knew it when he noticed that the wealthy Republican elite in his New York City district did not bother to vote in local elections, but only showed up for major contests. (See The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin). And Archie Bunker in the TV series "All in the Family" proudly saved his vote for "presidential, senatorial and mayororial" elections, and did not "waste it" on lesser contests.
   The latest example of activism defeating apathy happened this week in Virginia, as Tea Party extremists rejected Eric Cantor in favor of their own favorite in a primary election. A voter turnout of just 14 percent clearly played a major role in taking down the Number Two Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. Cantor has been the Majority Leader, second only to Speaker John Boehner.
   Pollsters were surprised at the election result. They had expected Cantor to coast to victory. Instead, he lost by a double-digit margin.
   What happened? Cantor wasn't extreme enough for the extremists, who turned out to support their Tea Party favorite, David Brat.
   So a strong turnout of dedicated, activist adherents to extreme views easily defeated a weak turnout of mainstream voters.