Greider: The trouble started when the party abandoned its working-class base.

[Tsiyu]

66. It's worrisome to me how little turnout we had

even given the reasons why.

I understand the reasons, even though I voted.

What troubles me is that we had the lowest election turnout in 72 years. This means the American people do not believe their vote matters. When people don't believe their vote will change anything, what will they do?

Do politicians not realize that the silence of the people is not assent? It's disgust, frustration, despair and hopelessness, plain and simple.

Hopeless, despairing, frustrated and disgusted people in the millions cannot bode well for this nation's future.

I do not believe in violent revolution, but it seems if people aren't voting, some are looking at other ways to gain power, and you can read their screeds all over the internets. They are armed and ready to take out corrupt politicians fatally. They feel there is no other answer. They're wrong, of course. But their silence at the voting booth is frightening.

I would not want to be a Republican politician today.