Between-Times

(Cartoon by Ben Sargent, published 4/16/14 in  the Austin American-Statesman, and found through a Washington Post link.  Click on image to enlarge.)

It's that rather dullish part of the presidential election cycle:  it's too early for any serious campaigning before the public.  Instead the candidates are busy raising funds and seeking the imprimaturs from the heavy-hitting big donors. 

Congressional candidates, on the other hand, are busy scurrying around their districts and states in an attempt to both raise funds and to garner votes from their constituents for the June primaries and the November elections.  Incumbents are dividing their time between doing nothing in Washington D.C. and giving speeches back home about how hard they're working.  Their opponents don't have to do quite the traveling, but they have a tougher time establishing name recognition and motivating their party to pay attention and to help get out the vote.  Voter turn-out tends to be dramatically lower in these "off-year" elections.

That's probably the reason why there's been a resurgence of trash-talking during campaigns.  Immigration reform is off the table, so anti-immigrant sentiments are expressed freely by the GOP, especially since Ted Cruz isn't involved in any major race.  Benghazi will continue to be investigated by the fourth or fifth House Committee because Hillary Clinton will probably declare one way or the other after November.

Kind of a boring time on the election circuit. Even I'm having a hard time getting motivated.