"Operation: Hilarity" –the Daily Kos idea for progressives to vote for Rick Santorum in open primaries (like Michigan), with an idea to continuing the existing disarray in the GOP, is a really bad idea.
1. Playing with the already-battered democratic process is not what we want to be doing. Have there been cases of groups doing this in the past (most particularly similar GOP "dirty tricks")? Sure. Does that mean Dems need to, or should be, doing the same thing? No. Plus, it's a great way to justify closing primaries in the future.
If you're going to vote for someone in an open primary, make it someone that you would like to see in office (at least preference to the others in that party's fold), not to make trouble or make a mockery of the system.
2. I don't even want to pretend that Santorum could be the actual candidate, or could actually win. That's a really, really scary prospect. Voting for him, even with the idea that it will weaken the GOP, is like playing with dynamite.
3. As much fun as it is to see the GOP in disarray, doing anything to make Santorum and his wretched social ideas look more legitimate only encourages the folks who feel the same way to be more vocal and active about it. If it's the GOP doing it, that's one thing. But for progressives to boost a homophobic Christianist like Santorum to greater prominence only lends comfort to folks with anti-progressive values.
A bad idea, no matter how funny or clever it sounds. #ddtb
Reshared post from +David Badash
Progressives have to be the adults in the room.
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Daily Kos Has A Really Bad Idea: Vote For Santorum.
Subverting a democracy already pushed and pulled into something stranger than a Doctor Dolittle Push-Me–Pull-You is just too much to stand for.
All Caucus’/Primary’s should be closed to party members only.
If a state allows open Caucus’ and Primary’s then they should be abused freely and continually until someone in the state party’s grows a brain and closes them to party members only. The only reason for Open Caucus’ and Primary’s is that the party in control/majority decided that they wanted to game the broken system and they are fine with that. So break away, go and vote for the worst person on the other side, it’s how the game is played, so play it to win.
The system is broken, it should be abused until everyone can see what a joke our system is and decide to fix it.