The Iowa Republican caucuses turnout numbers were slightly higher in 2012 than they were in 2008. However, without a Democratic presidential caucus to compete with, some are asking why the turnout numbers weren’t significantly higher. The suggestion is that the enthusiasm for the field is lacking.

That could be a problem, according to Washington Post columnist George Will. On Sunday’s “This Week,” Will chalked that deficiency up to the tea party not being passionate about Republican politics.

“That’s right, because Iowa is on everyone’s list of 12 to 14 swing states that you have to carry to win the presidency, the Republicans should be alarmed at the — I want to call it depression, but the absence of passion,” Will said. “We all know that the passion and the Republican Party is in the tea party — the tea party just isn’t an important part of the Republican base, it is the base at this point. And there is no one on the stage … the fact is, someone has to find the voice of the tea party.”

Will’s solution: Go after the policies of former President George W. Bush and so-called big-government conservatism instead of attacking President Barack Obama.

“And the way you start that is by saying, what got us into trouble isn’t Barack Obama — what got the tea party enkindled, so dry and flammable in February 2009 was the policies of the Bush administration,” Will said. “What you have to have now is an argument against big-government conservatism and tea party limited government, 10th amendment conservatism.”

Watch:

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