Possibly a potent one, given this elections general lack of enthusiasm. It is symptomatic of Obamas great failure: Disillusioning a US electorate finally willing, from sheer desperation, to believe in government again after decades buying Reagans argument "government is the problem." Every US election since the Twenty-Sixth Amendments ratification featured Dems predicting tens of millions of liberal young voters who never materialized: In 2008, they finally showed up, but have since discovered the liberal candidate who rallied them is himself AWOL.

A big story in 2008 was tens of millions of middle class small Obama donors convincing him to refuse federal funds that come with strict spending limits. In 2012 a similarly large story is nearly 90% of those small donors abandoning the president who abandoned them. Meanwhile, in the wake of the SCOTUS Citizens United ruling, about half of all GOP donations came from about 30 people. For Romneys campaign alone that has surpassed $100 million each of the last two months. In other words, Romney is mostly financed by two or three dozen GOP loyalists donating over $1 million per month: Less "participatory democracy" than "turning out the base."

Despite the bi-annually regular talk of independents and undecideds in swing states, that sliver of the populace is smaller than ever. Base turnout is usually at least as vital to victory, but an increasingly polarized electorate and Robamacare energizing Tea Party voters (while demoralizing ardent liberals) makes it especially critical this time. The GOP clearly knows that, hence:

Texas is suing to declare the 1964 Voting Rights Act unconstitutional; if poll taxes are re-legalized, whether new ID laws are poll taxes is moot.

Florida, after a successful 2004 "felon purge" that denied its current governors vote (on the grounds he was dead; "Governor Skeletor," indeed, ) is using illegal aliens to justify a similar broader purge. I cannot help wondering if Sen. Rubios parents illegal first decade or residency was thus a factor in consideration of him as Romneys potential VP.

Ohio has suspended early voting the last weekend before the election, when many state and municipal workers (who work Tuesday) traditionally vote. The Obama campaign has filed suit to overturn the new election-year law, and since it specifically exempts the military (which skews heavily Republican,) the Romney campaign has attacked the suit as "Obama attacking military voting rights."

Pennsylvania has passed strict new voting ID laws one of its legislators assured a Romney rally will "win PA for Romney" even as the state assured the public 99% of voters already meet the requirement (after the law was enacted the state quietly announced the number is actually <90%.)

Turnout will decide this one, hence GOP governments in 4 of the 10 largest US states (two of which are hotly contested battlegrounds Obama narrowly won in 2008 and narrowly leads now) are trying hard to reduce voting by demographics that trend heavily Dem. And, of course, it is why Romney is running with a Tea Party darling. Dems are drooling over running against the Ryan budgets abolition of Medicare and SS (have been since the 2010 GOP landslide, in fact.) Conventional wisdom says Romney knows he is behind and cannot count on the weak economy for a win by default, so he is throwing a "Hail Mary." Yet the Dems only hope is this inflames their base as much or more as it energizes the GOPs, because Obama offers little to motivate the former. Romney knows that, too, so Ryan (or Rubio) was the smart choice. The narrowness of Obamas WI lead, and surging WI leadership of the national GOP (e.g. Ryan, Gov. Walker, RNC Chairman Priebus,) were likely factors as well, but the overriding concern was turning out the GOP base, confident GOP state governments will blunt all corresponding responses from the Dem base.

This may be less a case of Team Romney running a high risk/reward Two Minute Offense because they know they are trailing late than of realizing they and Obama have BOTH made the campaign so unpopular only partisans will vote. If that is the case, pumping their own bases turnout while GOP state governments suppress Obamas may be the winning game plan.