It seems there is, as Politico so delicately puts it, a bit of an "enthusiasm gap" between Republicans and their upcoming convention. To wit…

"Nobody likes a funeral," said a Senate Republican press secretary who spoke on the condition of anonymity [you think?], citing "the overall climate of general malaise about the party" as the reason for hesitance on the part of Republicans.

On the House side, according to a report in The Hill, during a July 31 conference call National Republican Campaign Committee Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma discouraged congressional hopefuls from attending, saying that doing so would potentially be a "waste of time."

Yowch! But it's not just Republicanism that's keeping Republicans away from the Republican "fun"-fest in St. Paul. Some of the blame can be placed on St. Paul, a notoriously non-East-Coastal city in Minnesota…

Many GOP lobbyists also have decided the convention isn't worth the trip — despite the seemingly limitless networking and schmoozing opportunities — in part because of logistics and location.

In 2004, D.C.-based conventioneers could zip in and out of New York City by train. The 2000 convention in Philadelphia was an even shorter ride. St. Paul, by contrast, requires a flight halfway across the country from Washington — and, of course, the maddening hassle of air travel.

Yes, why must the heartland be kept so maddeningly far from D.C.? Wouldn't it be more convenient if we could just move Middle America someplace closer, like say Arlington?

Long-distance pandering is such a bother.