THE ECONOMIST: The Democratic left: Disappointed, down, despondent — And not about to rush to the polls in November, either. “The disillusionment of the Democrats’ base matters, says Charlie Cook, an electoral analyst, because mid-term elections have much lower turnouts than elections in presidential years, so the party faithful account for a higher proportion of votes. Parties with unhappy supporters, naturally, tend to do poorly in elections, says Jeff Jones of Gallup, although more because voters switch allegiances than because they do not bother to vote at all. . . . The Democrats’ best hope, in Mr Cook’s view, lies not in courting the party base but in denigrating the Republicans. That may help to remind disillusioned supporters why they voted Democratic in the first place. It could also give wavering independent voters pause. But the tactic’s chief benefit may lie in dampening the support of Republican cadres for their party. Indeed, the Democrats’ leaders seem to have adopted this strategy already.”